Riders on the Storm
by FoxTrustsNo1
Summary: "Go on." Laxus tells her, arms crossing over his massive chest. / Lucy's arms wrap around her stomach, and her back arches as she cackles mercilessly. / Laxus's eye twitches. / "Who'd've guessed the Thunder God was a mere mortal like the rest of us? The mighty Laxus brought to his knees by a spider!" / LaLu drama and fluff. M for language and some non-explicit adult content.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns all things Fairy Tail**

* * *

"I broke my rules for you."

Laxus snaps his head around so quickly that his neck cracks. The sound echoes through the empty stone corridor for what feels like an eternity.

He scans the dark hallway, but finds no one. His eye twitches.

 _Why can't I smell her?_

"You betrayed me."

Laxus grinds his teeth together.

A rush of air whooshes passed him.

He crouches in a defensive posture, his skin sizzles with sparks of electricity, and he shuts his eyes to focus his other senses.

"Aw, what's wrong Laxus? You're not…afraid, are you?"

Her taunting tone sends a chill down his spine. He barely manages to contain the shiver, but his arms break out in goosebumps.

Lucy's laugh is cruel and merciless. And just behind him.

He whips around, but, again, no one is with him.

"Tch." Laxus's eye twitches again. "Afraid of you-u?"

 _Fuck yeah, I am…I've never heard her laugh like that before._

* * *

 _Four months ago_

Laxus sits on the dock behind Fairy Tail's guild, feet dangling in the water.

Someone on the other side of the guild laughs, a sound that mesmerizes him to the point that he almost leaves his fishing post to follow it. What a waste of time that would be: he's been sitting here for an hour, watching a sly catfish debate whether or not his, Laxus's, toes are food or not. The fish is inches away, and Laxus gives a tantalizing wiggle of his toes.

Besides, that laugh belonged to Lucy; she's with Flame-Brain.

Laxus sighs, surprising himself.

"Hi, Laxus!" Lucy hollers brightly.

At the same time, the catfish chomps down on Laxus's foot, and spins, its rough teeth rubbing like sandpaper against his skin.

Laxus bellows, more from surprise than pain, and sends a bolt of lightning into the fish. The fish goes rigid as the lightning shoots from its tail into the water, then falls limp and almost slides off Laxus's foot. Laxus flicks his ankle, and the fish flies from his foot onto the deck, a delicious scent filling the air.

Lucy laughs exuberantly as she makes her way down the dock. She sits next to Laxus, her feet nearly in the water when Laxus grabs her and yanks her backwards and into his side.

"Eeep!" She chirps before looking up at him in confusion.

"You want to end up like that fish?" He smirks. He throws in a stray piece of wood from the dock, which sizzles as soon as it touches the water.

"Oh, geez." She giggles nervously.

Laxus puts his feet back in the water, summoning the electricity back into his body. It comes from as far as twenty yards away, and when he's done, his hair is twice as spiky as usual, and there is a slight buzzing sound in the air around him. He nods at Lucy, who immediately puts her feet in the water.

"Thanks, Laxus!" She laughs again, the sound pulling Laxus toward her like a magnet.

* * *

"Hmm, was that a stutter? Maybe you're not as fucking stupid as I thought."

Laxus winces this time; she's never called him 'stupid' before, either.

"Did that hurt?" She asks, slightly amused.

 _Where the hell is she?_

"Do you actually care about my opinion of you?"

He had hoped that he would be able to set things right before Lucy found out what had happened. He hasn't slept in two days, has been traveling Fiore in search of the thief, and has been in more fights than he can count. She obviously found out that he allowed Loke's key to be stolen, but still, this seems like an overreaction.

"Show yourself!" He growls.

"So you can kill me, too?"

He draws up short, a sudden pain in his gut. "I'd never hurt you, Lucy."

 _Doesn't she know that?_

"SHUT UP!"

Her voice echoes around the corridor, but instead of fading, it crescendos until the stones shake, and Laxus is sure the wing will collapse.

He calls down his lightning just in time, and travels to the grounds of the castle he was sneaking around. A storm is beginning, the wind thrashing the trees, the rain cold and cutting.

Thunder claps loudly as Laxus is placed on the lawn. Though it is his magic, and he has done it hundreds of times, he always has a second or two of disorientation when he lands.

In those two seconds, something hits him like a battering ram.

Laxus flies back several feet before falling flat on his back.

The air whooshes completely from his lungs.

He flops onto his stomach, desperate for breath, and tries to get to his hands and knees.

An invisible force slams into Laxus's back, knocking him flat again. His mouth fills with mud and grass, but he has no breath to cough it up. His fingers quickly dig the material from his mouth, but when he can finally take his first breath, he inhales drops of mud, and is sent into a coughing fit.

 _She's actually trying to kill me!_

Lightning sparks around him, trying to protect himself from another attack.

 _Something's wrong with her._

"How—uck!" He coughs violently and spits the last of the mud from his mouth. He can breathe consistently now, though not fully. "How are you doing this?"

"How have I brought the mighty Laxus to his knees?"

He shudders again.

* * *

 _Three days ago_

"EEEEEKK!" Lucy's shriek pierces the air.

Laxus—who definitely hasn't been skulking near her apartment for the last hour, trying to figure out how to ask her if he can borrow one of her spirits without getting a Lucy-kick to the balls—doesn't even bother with the stairs, and simply jumps up to her open window.

Lucy is standing on a small table on the other side of her bed, looking around her room in a panic.

"M-m-m-utant!" Lucy stutters and points at her writing desk. "S-s-s-."

Laxus jumps inside, bypassing her bed, and landing with a _thump_ next to the table. She grabs his shoulder with a shaking hand and shouts,

"Spider!"

Laxus has to lock down every single muscle to stop himself from joining Lucy on that table.

 _Why did it have to be a spider?!_

"W-where—." He clears his throat and channels his inner-Elfman to return his voice to its normal register. "Where did you see it?"

"O-on my desk." She shudders violently and slams her foot into the table. "It b-b-bit my hand!"

Laxus reaches down and tucks his jeans into his bright orange socks with yellow swirls before tentatively making his way toward the desk. He wraps his left hand in lightning shaped like a tennis racket, but more tightly woven.

 _Get a grip, man! Lucy's watching you. It's just a spider! Nothing to be scared of…so what if it has eight eyes? And eight legs..._

He suppresses a shudder.

 _What does anything need eight legs for anyway?!_

His question is answered when a tarantula the size of his hand leaps from the shadows beneath the desk, aiming straight for Laxus.

Lucy shrieks again.

Laxus jumps back instantly, landing on a rug which slips beneath him, bringing him hard to the ground. He yelps in a very un-manly manner, getting his lightning racket in front of his face just in time to keep the spider from landing there. The spider lingers in the lightning field, and fries to death before Laxus realizes that he'll have to retract the lightning before the spider will fall.

The smoking tarantula hits the ground with a sickening _thunk_.

Laxus scrambles away from it, and gags before pulling his shirt over his highly-sensitive nose.

Lucy stares at him, a mixture of relief, concern, and gratitude on her face. She looks at the immobile spider, then back to Laxus. Her eyes roam over him, looking for injuries; then she sees his orange socks.

Her lip twitches, and even biting it doesn't help. Her brown eyes close and she shakes her head slightly.

"Go on." Laxus tells her, arms crossing over his massive chest.

Lucy's arms wrap around her stomach, and her back arches as she cackles mercilessly.

Laxus's eye twitches, but he lets her continue until she mocks his yelp and says,

"Who'd've guessed the Thunder God was a mere mortal like the rest of us? The mighty Laxus brought to his knees by a spider!" She laughs again, and shuts her eyes against the tears.

Laxus lightly brushes his fingers up her calf.

She shrieks and jumps onto his shoulders, her shins digging into his overdeveloped muscles, her hands clenched in his hair.

"Kill it!"

"Who's scared now, mortal?"

* * *

"I've been training with Jellal." Lucy's voice is full of power, but there is an out-of-control quality to it.

Laxus growls and his lightning crackles angrily, his temper getting the better of him. "I offered to train with you!"

"Are you jealous?" Her voice is right next to his ear, quiet and frightening.

 _I can't even feel her breath! Where the hell_ —?

Laxus is slammed into the ground again, and the cracking of his ribs can be heard even over the howling of the wind.

"Is that why you murdered Natsu?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh, shit._

Laxus groans against the pain of breathing. The storm is so loud that he can barely hear himself when he asks, "You think I killed Natsu?"

"I said, 'murdered!'" Her voice echoes around his skull.

Lightning cracks loudly just above them, followed by rolling, deafening thunder.

Laxus once again gets to his hands and knees.

 _No scent, no breath; speaking directly inside my head..._

"You're in the Celestial Spirit World."

Her slow clapping makes his gut clench, and he feels not just diminished, but small.

 _Fuck, I'd rather get hit again._

 _This isn't Lucy: no benefit of the doubt, no chance to share my side; just hate and assumptions and distrust._

 _She thinks her best friend is dead. Is this how she grieves?_

 _Would she be this mad if he had killed me?_

 _Ye—_

 _No._

Laxus explodes with a million flashes of lightning that scorch the trees and ground around him. He stands to his full height, arms stretched out in defiance.

"I didn't kill Natsu!"

"Bit late to try and save yourself."

"I don't need saving from you." He snarls savagely, his former self taking control for a moment, which he already regrets.

This time, the battering ram hits him from the left. The impact is not as strong as before, and Laxus simply slides several feet across the grass until he digs his heels in to stop. At the point of impact, Laxus sees Capricorn convulsing, the gold cuffs around his wrists charred and contorted, cutting into his flesh. A moment later, the Zodiac disappears in a pillar of light.

Laxus stomps his foot, sending a bolt to the nearest tree. The tree crisps instantly, and after a few seconds, turns to ash on the wind.

"Would you listen to me, woman?" Laxus roars, his lightning raging once again—it shakes the ground, the trees, the very air itself. "I don't want to hurt your Spirits!"

"I forgave you, Laxus. Forgave you for deciding I wasn't worth your effort while Gajeel beat the shit out of me."

Laxus falters.

"Forgave you for making Fairy Tail pay for Phantom Lord's sins."

His lightning is all flash now, no power behind it.

"Forgave you for turning me to stone and threatening to murder me and my friends."

His lightning dies down to an occasional sizzle, and he stops breathing.

"Even forgave you for nearly killing Master Makarov, the man more a father to me than my own."

Laxus's chest caves in, his head hangs low, and his shoulders roll forward; the picture of a broken man.

"You saved us on Tenrou Island. You fought at the Games. You tried hard to make things up to the guild. So when you asked me for Loke's key—without telling me why—I decided to trust you.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW ANGRY HE WAS WITH ME JUST FOR ASKING?!" Her voice shakes everything again, rattles around his skull until he's sure his brain will liquefy. "Celestial wizards do not lend their Spirits' keys to other mages. But you said something that convinced him. He trusted you, so I trusted you. Apparently, Natsu didn't; I should have listened to him."

"Listen to _me_!" Laxus growls, his jealousy rearing its ugly head again. "I haven't seen the pink-haired dweeb all week. I didn't kill him!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

A barrage of magic energy flattens Laxus to the ground again, but there is less menacing in it.

 _She wants to believe me!_

"I watched him turn to ash just like that tree!" Her voice cracks, and so does the thunder.

 _Is this storm hers?!_

Laxus's guts clenches; he'd rather the goat man keep breaking his ribs than hear Lucy cry.

"You murdered my best friend. Natsu is dead, and Loke is lost!" The barrage continues, badly bruising not just his muscles, but his bones and organs. "I TOLD YOU THEY WEREN'T A THREAT TO US!"

Lucy appears before him, her countenance so terrible that he can barely even look at her.

 _What the hell is wrong with her eyes?_

Her normally large, compassionate brown eyes are glowing red, her face is contorted menacingly, and her hair whips around in the wind.

The barrage picks up speed for a few seconds that feel like an eternity to Laxus, then abruptly stops.

Laxus stares at Lucy's feet as he tries to get his breath back. Even as he wheezes, the grass tickling his nose, he can feel his body beginning to repair itself. He'll be fine in a few hours, unless Lucy wants him otherwise.

"It's too much, Laxus. You've hurt Fairy Tail too much!"

Lucy takes a stance that Laxus has never seen her make before, but that he definitely recognizes.

 _Jellal taught her Altairis?!_

With great effort and even more pain, Laxus lifts himself onto his elbows to get a better look at Lucy: her arms are above her head, crossed at the wrists. Her red eyes glow more furiously now—even as tears begin to stream from them—and her whole body is shaking violently.

"Laxus!" She cries, and the shadows from the castle grounds start bending toward her. "For your crimes against Fairy Tail…"

 _Shit. This is it._

Laxus flops flat to the ground.

 _Get up, you loser! You know you can take her, even like this. Fight!_

 _Hurt Lucy? I'd rather die._

 _Fuckin' pathetic._

"I love you," he whispers. He shuts his eyes, wanting to remember _his_ Lucy as he dies.

* * *

 _Two months ago_

"Oh, hey, Laxus!" Lucy chirps brightly while balancing on the stone wall next to the river.

Laxus looks up sharply, having been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed her scent as she approached. Of course, his thoughts had been of her, and he had been on his way to her apartment, so even if he had noticed, he would have chalked it up to memory recall.

"H-hey." He rubs the back of his head.

 _Don't be such a wuss!_

Ever since he found out that Lucy and Natsu aren't dating, Laxus has been planning the perfect way to ask her out. Unfortunately, for the first time in his life, he doesn't have the confidence. So many of the women he's…dated, to put it kindly, haven't been nearly as high-caliber as Lucy.

 _Or maybe they were, and you were just too much of an ass to see it._

That thought makes him sick.

In any case, he doesn't feel worthy enough even to speak to Lucy—someone whose love and loyalty for her companions is renowned even outside of Magnolia, and has been since the day she joined Fairy Tail. How can he ask her to consider him more than a guild mate when his most notable achievement is having trapped his family in the Thunder Dome?

"You doin' okay?" She asks him as she hops off her perch and puts her hand on his arm.

"Date me." He blurts out, instantly cringing. He can feel his face burning, and he groans in mortification as he turns to leave, mumbling, "Sorry."

"Laxus." Lucy tugs on his arm, asking him to stay.

He complies, but keeps his eyes on his shoes.

 _Is that a scuff?_

 _Focus._

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

He looks at her out of the corner of his eye; she smiles at him.

 _See that? That's not the 'friendly' smile she gives everyone else._

His chest puffs up like a damn rooster, until he thinks that maybe he's just seeing what he wants to see. He holds back a groan at his debilitating lack of confidence; how do people live like this?

 _They don't._

 _Screw that._

"Tonight? Seven o'clock?"

"Perfect!" She giggles.

He knew right then that he was hers completely for as long as she would have him.

* * *

Lucy wails loudly and hits the ground hard.

A burst of red light temporarily blinds Laxus. When he can see again, Lucy is on her knees, arms wrapped around her stomach like they're the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

 _No, dammit! That's supposed to be her laughing posture._

The storm dies down to a light drizzle.

Lucy's brown eyes, full of misery and confusion, lock onto his.

"Laxus." Her tears stream unceasingly down her face, dragging her mascara with them. The black fluid creates bars across her face, giving her the appearance of being in a jail cell.

Or maybe Laxus is the one in prison, barred from Lucy for the rest of his life.

 _I can't live like that._

"I didn't..." Laxus pushes himself to his hands and knees, trying to minimize his wincing and grunting so as not to upset Lucy even more. Unfortunately, he coughs, and has to spit out blood several times. "I didn't kill him, Lucy. I swear."

"Oh, Laxus!" She sobs, and runs toward him. She cries her barely-coherent apologies, her hands clearly aching to touch him, to help him somehow, but unable to find an undamaged spot. "I hurt you."

He manages to pull off his signature smirk as he tears off a piece of his shirt and uses it to gently clean Lucy's face. "I let you."

The mournful sound she makes sends a chill down Laxus's spine, and knocks the air out of him more effectively than Capricorn had.

"I'm so sorry, Laxus!" She bows her head to the muddy ground, her hands clasped behind her head; that's when he sees it.

"Lucy." His voice is raspy, and he can feel blood trickling down his throat as he grabs her left hand, which is slightly swollen and has two large, red puncture marks on it. "That spider bit you, right?"

"Uh-huh." She nods, and tries to look up at him. She remains doubled-over, though, like straightening out is too painful.

"You smell different." He tells her after taking a whiff of the air around her.

"Huh?"

"Tarantulas aren't native to Magnolia, Lucy. And they're not aggressive, or poisonous, or that fucking big." He shivers just a little. "But you smell like venom, and someone else's magic. That red flash earlier must've been you breaking the spell."

"You think someone did this to me? Someone made me hurt you?"

"Yeah."

Lucy's eyes glow red again, and this time, the sound she makes is wrathful, but has the same chilling effect on him.

 _No wonder the human torch calls her 'Scary Lucy.'_

"Then whoever it is murdered Natsu, too." She seethes.

The storm begins again, though much more controlled than before. Laxus can't believe that she has gained this much skill and power since he last saw her fight. Loathe though he is to admit it, Jellal's magic suits Lucy well. Clearly, she's made it her own, because Laxus is pretty sure that Jellal can't control the weather.

"Lucy." Laxus tries tentatively, not wanting to trigger a regression to ten minutes ago.

Everything goes calm again, and Lucy looks at him.

"I know you want to find whoever murdered Natsu. But—."

Lucy snorts, and Laxus swears that smoke curls out of her nostrils.

"—we have to get Loke's key first."

Lucy debates silently for a moment, then nods her head. "Tell me everything."

* * *

 **Thank y'all so much for taking this journey with me! I am new to this scene, and was super nervous about posting anything, but when I woke up this morning and saw that my story had not only been read, but favorited by some of you, I couldn't stop grinning; hence, the quick update :D Your encouragement is much appreciated!**

 **Tiernank, thank you for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter :)**

 **And, yes, I am a gratuitous user of exclamation points! Here, have some more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, y'all, I absolutely hated Chapters 3-5, so I have re-written them. There is some new info, and a couple of deletions in old info, but nothing that will massively impact the story going forward if you don't feel like re-reading the chapters. Also, I stopped being lame, and just decided to stick to writing from Laxus's POV. Sometimes I tell myself that I have to give everyone equal time, and that just isn't true, 'cause then I end up writing things I hate, and feeling bad that you had to read them :(**

* * *

Marcus Pisani watches from his perch in a tree as Capricorn slams into that barbarian. His stomach flutters delightfully when Laxus hits the ground.

 _Teach him to mess with me._

* * *

 _One month ago_

Marcus Pisani sits drinking his coffee, watching his prey drink hers. She is with a blue-haired woman, and the pair are giggling, pouring over a number of loose pages laid out on their table. The blonde's keys hang carelessly at her hip, begging to be given a better home.

 _How did a tramp like her end up with nine Zodiac keys?!_

Pisani snorts derisively. He has spent the last thirty years hunting down gate keys and has never even held a Zodiac. She doesn't deserve one, let alone nine. She's even lost one of them!

He shakes his head in disgust and sets his finished coffee on the table before standing. He would be an average-sized man except for the exaggerated curve in his upper back which has been with him since birth. With the dark green cloak wrapped around him, he looks fragile and harmless as he shuffles passed Lucy Heartfilia and pretends to trip.

"Oh, no!" Lucy reaches out to catch him.

Pisani's right hand ends up hidden in the valley of her breasts, and for the briefest moment, he forgets that he did this on purpose to distract her while he steals the keys from her hip. Pisani flexes his fingers slightly, and licks his lips without thinking. Just as he pulls his mind back to his mission, he is yanked off his feet by his collar.

He yelps in indignation, feet dangling in the air.

The air around him cracks and sizzles, and lightning dances in the stormy gray eyes of his captor.

 _Fuck!_

Growing up, Pisani always had others to do his bidding. It began with servants, provided by his overindulgent parents, who treated his hunchback like a debilitating disease. Pisani proved his independence by learning magic, though he simply traded in his servants for his Spirits. He would normally have had one of them lift Lucy's keys, but she had been such an easy mark, and he had wanted to touch those breasts.

"You did that on purpose." The blonde man growls.

 _How dare he?! He cannot just manhandle me like this! I am Marcus Pisani, the wealthiest businessman in Fiore! Who the fuck is he?_

The man's teeth elongate and some scales appear around his eyebrows.

 _Not good._

"N-n-no, sir!" Pisani stutters, and looks at Lucy with terror and pleading. "P-p-lease, m-ma'am, it was an accident, I assure you!"

"Laxus." Lucy puts a hand on the man's arm. "Please, put him down."

The brute looks down at the bimbo, and Pisani notes the look in the man's eyes: zealous devotion.

 _Sucker._

Laxus glowers at Pisani before roughly returning him to the ground with a grunt. "Get lost."

Pisani keeps up his terrified act by shuffling pitifully toward the door, already planning his revenge.

* * *

Pisani wishes he had some popcorn. He can't hear what is happening, but the blonde air-head is about to—

 _Holy shit, that isn't Celestial magic! What is she—how is she doing that?_

Suddenly, she stops, and a red light pulses around her before she hits the ground.

"Noooo!" Pisani slams a fist into the branch.

He delayed obtaining the Master Gate Key just to watch her kill the savage, and now she's broken through his spell! Does she have any idea how long it took him to make that potion?! To feed Vivaldi enough of it that he would be able to poison her?! How-fucking-dare-she?!

* * *

Laxus tries not to lean on Lucy too much as they make their way into the castle, but it is too much of a struggle to stay upright. At least his legs are relatively unharmed, and are functioning like they should. Lucy is being too quiet for comfort; she's not even crying. Not that he wants her to cry, but it would at least be a sign that she's working through her shit. Right now, he's pretty sure that she is shutting down. Having lived that way most of his life, he knows how destructive such a state can be.

He wonders at how the brain's way of protecting itself actually makes things worse, at least in the long run. Yeah, shutting down can help for a little bit, may even be necessary to survive, but remaining shut down will kill you just as effectively.

"Lucy?" Laxus asks softly.

Lucy ignores him, instead pulling a key from her pouch and practically yawning her summons for Aries.

The pink-haired ram appears instantly.

"Lady Lucy! I'm so sorry!"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Aries," Lucy says kindly, but Laxus can tell that just this interaction is draining her, and not just of her magic. He's surprised she has any magic energy left. "Can you give us a bed for the night?"

Aries bows, and when she rights herself, begins generating a massive amount of pink wool in the corner of the room. Once it is big enough for an elephant, she stops, bows again to Lucy, and asks, "How else may I serve you?"

"Thank you, Aries; that's all."

"Sleep well, Lady Lucy."

When Aries disappears, Lucy walks Laxus over to the wool bed and helps him lie down. She remains standing, and fights another yawn as she asks, "What happened, Laxus?"

* * *

 _Four Days Ago_

Laxus tunes out the Raijinshu as he scarfs down his burger.

They are arguing over something dumb, like who's the most attractive in the guild.

 _Hmph. Obviously, Lucy. Idiots._

Laxus bites back a groan as he thinks about what to get her for her birthday. It's a month away, but he likes to be prepared. They've been dating for two months, but he's still at a loss; jewelry? perfume? clothes? It all feels so impersonal and lackluster. Laxus wants something that will show her how much she means to him, but he's not sure there's anything in Earthland that could adequately express that sentiment.

 _Shit, when did I get so fuckin' sappy?_

He could just ask Ever, but he has a feeling she would steer him toward something just off-the-mark enough that Lucy would be offended. He could ask Mira or Cana, but the demon would take over, and the drunk would tell the whole world just how whipped he is.

Laxus sets down his burger and runs his hands through his hair.

 _What am I gonna do?_

In the booth next to him, a sternly beautiful woman is reading a book that catches his eye: _Master Gate Key: Fact or Fiction?_

 _Master Gate Key? Like a skeleton key?!_

The woman makes a disgruntled noise and slams the book shut. She takes an angry sip of her drink and starts to put the book away.

"Excuse me." Laxus leans over Freed, who nearly goes into convulsions with Laxus's chest rubbing against the side of his face. "Where did you get that book?"

"This atrocious excuse for literature?" She practically sneers, reminding Laxus of an afternoon spent listening to Lucy and Levy trash some book they had recently read.

"How much for it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I want to buy that book from you."

"It will only lower your IQ; you don't want this book."

"Yes, I do." Laxus is becoming more determined by the second, while the woman looks more annoyed.

"It is not worth the price of my coffee."

"I'll buy your coffee and your lunch."

She huffs and purses her lips. "Very well."

* * *

 _Three Days Ago_

It is nearing dusk, and Laxus is walking along a dirt road headed for the remote village of Villisca on the East side of the Phoenix Mountains, rumored to be the last known location of the Master Gate Key. His hands are in his pockets, constantly feeling for Loke's key to make sure it's still there.

He can't believe that Lucy let him take Loke's key, let alone without an explanation. Though she was willing to ask Loke, if not for the lion himself, Laxus doubts she ever would have consented. That hurts Laxus more than he cares to admit, but he doesn't blame her. He can't believe she trusts him enough to be in the same room as him, let alone date him; he shouldn't expect her to trust him with her friends, her Spirits. And yet, he wants her trust so much it makes it difficult to breathe.

"Dude, stop." Loke commands. "That tingles."

Laxus looks at him in mild horror. "You can feel that?"

"Everywhere." Loke winks. He bursts into laughter as Laxus's hands fly from his pockets and cross over his chest.

It is a good ten minutes before Laxus speaks again.

"Why haven't you told Lucy about the Master Gate Key before?"

"I forgot about it." He shrugs.

"How do you forget about a key that can substitute for all of the gate keys in its owner's possession?"

"Do you have any idea how old I am?"

"No."

"Me, neither; I'm allowed some senior moments."

"I don't remember you being such a smartass."

Loke grins. "I picked it up from Lucy."

Instantly, Laxus's face glows, and he turns away from Loke to hide his silly grin, pretending to cough into his shoulder.

Loke laughs, and just barely dodges Laxus's fist.

"You got it bad, man."

Laxus grunts, and kicks a rock down the path.

"Yo, havin' it bad for Lucy is nothin' to be ashamed of."

"Who said I was ashamed?" Laxus growls.

"That's more like it." Loke grins. "And while we're on the subject: just what are your intentions with Lucy?"

"I don't answer to you." Laxus snaps, a bit of his former-self showing its colors. He runs his hand over his head and says, "Sorry."

"An apology?" Loke teases. "You really have changed, Laxus."

"Not enough." Laxus shakes his head.

"Enough for what?"

Laxus tries to keep his mouth shut, he really does; but he may not have the chance to pick Loke's brain in private like this ever again. The words just come tumbling out:

"Even in exile, it was Lucy that helped me figure some of my shit out: the Raijinshu told me how she helped you." Laxus shakes his head in disbelief and admiration. "Called down the fuckin' Celestial Spirit King himself and demanded that he forgive you. Who the fuck has balls like that? No man I've ever met. Maybe Natsu," he adds bitterly.

"The point is: I knew I didn't have balls like that, not to mention anyone I cared enough about. Being like her became my goal, only I'm not good with people, and they're afraid of me anyway. So how can I get serious with Lucy if I can't match her devotion?"

Laxus takes a deep breath, and, though his cheeks color slightly at his admission, he looks at Loke for guidance. Loke just smiles and shakes his head.

"That's the thing, Laxus: no one will ever be able to match Lucy's devotion. She inspires and encourages everyone around her to new levels, and just when you think you've reached her, you realize that she's already on the next ledge, waiting to help you up again.

"You and I aren't so different, you know: both in love with Lucy, both for the same reason, both on a quest—literal and metaphorical—to make her happy. The difference is that I don't have a shot with her; you do. If you blow it because of your wallowing, I will kick your ass."

"If you believe you don't have a shot, why are you here?"

"You already know the answer to that."

Laxus sighs. "Yeah, I do."

They walk in silence for at least half-a-mile before reaching Villisca. As they approach, Loke goes on guard.

"It's full of Spirits."

"Don't you know them?"

"Sure, but they're not contracted to Lucy, which means they could be enemies."

As soon as they step into the village square, a dozen Spirits gather around them suspiciously.

"Why have you come here?" A woman asks.

"Cassie!" Loke grins, as Laxus narrows his eyes and says,

"You."

"You are not welcome here, Leo the Lion. Nor you, Laxus the Lightning Dragon Slayer."

"Then you shouldn't have led me here." Laxus says lazily, and starts wandering the square, eying each of the Spirits, and taking in the structures around them. "'Cause I ain't leavin' 'til I get what I came for."

"I would go to the gallows before I gave you the Master Gate Key," she says stuffily.

"Come on, Cassie." Loke schmoozes, going so far as to begin rubbing Cassiopeia's shoulders. "Let Laxus take the Key, then you and I can get out of here."

"Desist." Cassiopeia smacks his hand.

"Man, I forgot how proper you are." Loke whines, and shakes the pain from his hand.

"I did not forget how casually affectionate you are."

Laxus barks his laughter. "I think she just called you a 'whore,' Loke."

"Aw, Cass! What's that about, huh?"

Cassiopeia narrows her eyes at him, then says, "Be gone."

Loke disappears instantly.

"What the hell did you do?" Laxus demands.

"You really should be more careful with your keys, dragon slayer."

Cassiopeia and all of the other Spirits disappear in several flashes of bright light, leaving Laxus alone in the square.

His chest constricts anxiously as he plunges his hands into his pockets in search of Loke's key. It isn't there.

Laxus roars terribly—a sound that shakes the abandoned wooden buildings around him—and zaps several trees, all of which crumble into piles of ash.

* * *

"Lucy?" Laxus asks worriedly, trying to sit up, but hindered by his wounds and the give in the wool. She isn't shaking, but he can smell the salty tears running down her face again. He manages to get to the edge of the wool and sit up, but now he is out of breath.

She turns around at the sound of his wheezing, her eyes narrowing at him. "Lie back down!"

"Not unless you join me."

She shakes her head. "I'm going after Loke."

Laxus shoves aside the feelings of resentment that she is just going to leave him here; after all, she didn't say she was going to leave him, but that she was going to find Loke; big difference. Laxus stands, wobbles a little, then takes a couple steps so that he can put his hands on Lucy's shoulders.

"You barely had enough magic left to call up Aries to help me." He gives her a little tug, and is pleased when she allows herself to be pulled against his chest. "Neither of us has slept in days. We need to rest, Lucy."

"I can't," she says weakly, and shakes her head.

"Lucy, I promise you: I will return Loke to you."

"I know." Her voice shakes, and her tears flow anew. "It's just...Natsu-." She sobs, and clutches at Laxus's shirt. "I'm so tired, Laxus."

Laxus leads her to the bed and does his best to help her onto it. He crawls carefully next to her, laying on his side and circling his arms around her. He listens to her cry softly for nearly an hour, his gut roiling at how damn useless he is. He has no idea what to say or do to help her, so he just holds her closer.

After a while, she is silent, and he thinks she has finally fallen asleep. So, he is surprised when he feels her lips on his hand, and hears her say,

"I love you, too, Laxus."

Laxus lights up beneath the grime covering his face, and he can feel several of his bruises and cuts fade away into nothing.

 _Today could have been worse._


	4. Chapter 4

**I've re-written this chapter because I hated the original.**

* * *

Laxus awakens to the sound of jangling keys, and Lucy swearing softly. He sits up quickly, eyes scanning the room for her. She is near the door, looking at him like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she says apologetically.

"You're leaving?" Laxus tries to keep the betrayal from his voice, but at the look on Lucy's face, he knows he didn't succeed.

"Just to get some water! I would never just leave you here, Laxus."

"You're taking your keys just to get some water?" He raises an eyebrow.

For a moment, Lucy looks indignant, and Laxus's hackles raise. When her face finally settles on understanding, his defenses drop. "Do you ever just leave your lightning at home?"

Laxus looks at his feet, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." She shrugs cutely, but the phrase hits Laxus like an arrow.

How can she forgive him? What if she just thinks she has, and the potion revealed her true feelings?

Lucy sighs, and walks back to the shrinking wool bed, her Celestial Spirit clothes all skiwampus across her body. "Will you forgive me, Laxus?"

"Forgive _you_?" His eyebrows shoot up beneath his hair. "For what?"

"For trying to kill you," she says drily. "Duh."

"After the pain I caused at Fantasia, a few broken ribs is barely punishment."

Lucy narrows her eyes at him, and her voice is barely controlled when she says, "You were cut off from your guild; your team; your own grandfather. You don't consider that punishment?"

"It was the most difficult time of my life; I still deserve worse for what I did."

"Laxus," Lucy say softly, and crawls next to him on the bed. "I don't think you understand how forgiveness works: it isn't something you earn when you've suffered a certain amount for your wrongdoings. It's a gift from those you hurt. Fairy Tail forgives you; I forgive you. You just need to stop rejecting our gift to you."

Laxus stares at her a moment, mouth slightly agape as he searches her beautiful, still-grubby face for a hint of insincerity. When he is convinced that she is telling him the truth, and not that she's just trying to be nice, he feels a weight lifted from his body.

Laxus grabs Lucy-who yelps in surprise-then kisses her. One of his hands threads through her hair, the other snaking around her waist to press against her back. Lucy responds immediately by pressing against his chest in an effort to push him onto his back.

Unfortunately, the pressure is too much for his still-healing body, and he groans and flinches away from her.

"You idiot!" She bawls. "Why did you let me hurt you?!"

Laxas stares at her, dumbstruck, but her watering eyes demand an answer. Finally, he says, "I couldn't have stopped you without hurting you, too, Lucy."

"Then you should have hurt me!"

"Never."

"Laxus! That wasn't me! I was trapped, fighting to gain control of my own body! Do you have any idea how awful that was for me? At least when Kain used Mr. Cursey on me, I was still in control of my mind; this time, it was like I was trapped in a fog, barely able to tell what I was doing, or saying, or even thinking. What if you could have zapped me out of it sooner?"

"What if I had fried your brain?"

"Don't use that tone with me; all calm and reasonable like _I'm_ the one being irrational. Even Natsu has knocked out Erza before!"

Lucy looks sharply away, and wraps her arms around her torso again.

Laxus feels irrationally angry, and vows that the next time she does that, it will be because she is laughing.

"Laxus," she whispers. "I have to tell you something."

Laxus's gut clenches, and he tentatively takes her hand in his. "I can take it, Lucy."

Her eyes shimmer with tears when she looks at him. "I found Natsu in Villisca. He was by those trees you struck." She draws a quivering breath. "I know you didn't mean it, but you _did_ kill him."

Laxus stares at her blankly. Slowly, his eyebrows knit together in consternation.

"Lucy…Natsu wasn't in Villisca."

"You wouldn't have seen him!"

"No, Lucy; I can smell him a mile away." When she still doesn't look convinced, he grudgingly adds, "I use him as my homing beacon when my sense of direction gets me lost."

"I know what I saw, Laxus!"

"Tell me exactly."

"I was pretty far gone already, but I know it was him, except ash. He was laid out in his favorite sleeping position, like he'd been napping against the tree-"

Laxus bites his tongue until it bleeds to stop himself from asking how the hell she knows Natsu's favorite sleeping position.

"-and as soon as I saw him, everything went dark and quiet for a long time."

"Lucy, I promise that wasn't Natsu."

"Wha—really?"

"Really really; he wouldn't have maintained his shape like that."

"Then what the fuck was it?"

"Uh," Laxus stammers as he scoots away from her; Scary Lucy is no joke. "Just a sculpture, I guess."

Lucy's battle cry echoes around the stone room as she jumps off the shrinking wool bed.

"THAT'S IT! Get up and put your nose to work, dragon slayer!"

"Who do you want me to find first?"

"Loke, of course! You're the only person I would ever believe could kill Natsu; he's probably fishing with Happy somewhere. Get up, you lazy-butt!" Lucy tugs his hand, but to no avail; she can't even get him to move an inch.

Laxus grins, and yanks Lucy to him so that she is straddling his hips. He kisses her passionately, playfully nipping at her lips, then flicking his tongue across the area. Soon, Lucy has pulled away so that she can catch her breath. Laxus continues kissing her jaw, her ear, her throat. When he reaches her collarbone, she pushes his head even lower.

 _Really? She wants me to-_

"Laxus," she moans breathily.

The sound sends fire through his veins, but he pulls away from her chest so that he can look at her. She is quite the picture with her swollen, parted lips, and eyes hooded in desire.

"Lucy," Laxus grits out almost painfully. "We should get going."

Lucy sighs, and gets off the bed, offering her hand to help him up. He takes it, though he doesn't need it, surprised at how disappointed she looks.

They begin at the scene of last night's battle.

"You smelled so weird last night." Laxus tells her as he sniffs around the area where Lucy broke the spell on her.

"You said I smelled like someone else's magic; I didn't know magic had a smell."

"It's subtle, even to me. Easier to feel than to smell, but it's there. And this one smells familiar." He growls as he runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "I just don't remember who."

"Can you follow it, though?"

"He's not in this area. But the second we're within range, I'll know."

"You followed him here, right?"

"No." Laxus sighs. "This place was mentioned in the book I told you about. Surprisingly un-haunted for a placed named The Haunted Castle. Besides, the storm you brought with you would have washed away any scent he may have left."

"Storm?"

"From what I could tell, you were controlling the weather last night."

"Aw, man." She pouts. "I've been practicing forever, and I didn't even get to see it!"

"I've never seen Jellal control the weather." He can't stop himself from saying, his disgruntled jealousy on full display.

Lucy laughs; actually laughs!

"What the fuck is so funny?" Laxus growls.

"I'm sorry, Laxus. I just never thought I would find jealousy adorable."

"Why are training with him and not with me?" Laxus demands.

She shrugs modestly, and says, "I'm never going to be the strongest fighter, but I want to at least be useful to you in a fight; so I learned how to make your element."

Laxus's hand unconsciously moves to his upper chest as he stares at her in wonder. "You did that for _me_?"

"Of course." She smiles and takes his free hand in hers. "But, um, my motives weren't entirely unselfish."

"I don't understand."

Lucy blushes furiously and pokes her two pointer fingers together. "Well, uh…well, I noticed when we, um, make out, that you kind of…sizzle, andIthoughtmaybethereasonwehaven'thadsexyet—"

Laxus makes a choking sound as images of Lucy naked bombard his brain.

"—is because you're worried about your magic, and I wanted to show you I can handle a little lightning."

It takes several moments for all what Lucy said to sink past the lewd images and into Laxus's understanding. But when it does, it only makes it more difficult for him to focus. His eyes rake over her body as he slowly walks her backward until she is up against a tree. She shivers suddenly, but there is no hint of fear or even anxiety in the lusty look she gives him. He is practically aching for her, but now is not the time.

Laxus lifts her to eye-level with him, trapping her between the tree and his body, before smugly whispering against her ear, "You learned a new magic just to get in my pants?"

"You idiot!" Lucy squirms against him, but he just laughs heartily, and holds her tighter.

"Lucy." Laxus looks at her, still beaming.

"Hmph." She pouts.

"I love you."

She glances quickly at him, but just crosses her arms and looks away.

"I love you, Lucy." He nuzzles her neck, kisses just beneath her ear. She shivers again, but still is silent. Laxus is starting to get worried. "Lucy?"

She turns quickly at his tone, slamming her mouth against his. Their tongues duke it out for dominance, but they're enjoying the battle too much to actually try to win. Lucy is the first to break away to catch her breath, though Laxus is panting just as hard as she is.

"Say it, Lucy," he begs.

"I love you so much."

He kisses her again, and this time, it is slow and passionate, meant to stoke a smoldering desire. Lucy's arms wrap around his neck, her legs around his hips, and she pulls him closer, only for him to stop kissing her.

"Come back, jerk." She pinches him.

Laxus laughs and leans his forehead against hers. "You make me so happy."

"You make me happy."

"I can control my magic." He kisses her neck.

"Then why?" Lucy asks breathlessly as he continues kissing down her throat.

"You're too special for me to treat the same as…other women." He finishes nervously, not quite making eye contact with Lucy.

Lucy runs her hands over his pecs before curling her fingers in his collar and pulling it away from his body. She leans forward, looks down his shirt, and licks her lips. "Not to stroke your ego, but if they got to see you naked, I'm gonna call foul play."

"Fuck, you make it hard to stay in control."

Lucy beams mischievously and rolls her hips against his abdomen, pulling a deep moan from him. "How hard?"

"Lucy," Laxus warns, but is clearly undecided if he wants her to heed it or not. "You better be prepared to go all day."

Lucy gulps, and searches his face. After a few moments, she sighs, and says, "The second all this is over, I expect to go all weekend."

Laxus groans like he's in pain, and rests his head on her shoulder. "You really are gonna be the death of me, Lucy."

"Put me down before I change my mind."

Laxus carries her away from the tree, then lets her slide sensuously down his body. By the time her feet are on the ground, they are both holding their breath.

Lucy reluctantly takes a step away from him. "Let, uh, let me see that book."

Laxus pulls the book from his coat with a slightly-shaking hand.

The second Lucy lays eyes on it, her playfulness disappears. She inspects it thoroughly, her eyebrows furrowing the longer she looks at it. She finally opens it up and starts scanning the contents, until she suddenly slams it shut.

"Loke knew this is what you were after?"

"Yeah. He didn't remember much about it, though."

"Hmm." She studies her keys for a moment, then selects the one shaped like a horned animal, and shouts, "Open! Gate of the Goat: Capricorn!"

Capricorn materializes immediately, already in a low bow.

"Lady Lucy, are you feeling better?"

Laxus catches the growl in his throat before it is released, but can't stop his fists from balling up.

 _Ain't his fault; he was just obeying Lucy._

 _Crazy Lucy! He should have quarantined her or something!_

"Much better, Capricorn, thank you!" She throws her arms around him. "I'm so sorry I used you like that! Are you okay?"

"I am fully healed, Lady Lucy."

"Good!"

"Sir Laxus." Capricorn bows in the dragon slayer's direction. "I apologize for attacking you. I am bound to follow Lady Lucy's directives."

"Tch."

"Capricorn," Lucy chides, but she is smiling. "Tell him the whole story."

"I don't-."

"I have a vague memory of you telling the poisoned-me that I should make base in the Celestial Spirit Realm. I'm sure you did that so I would use up my magic powers quicker. You saved Laxus, and me."

"Whoa, what?" Laxus asks.

"You explain it, Capricorn; I still don't totally get how it works."

"For a human to simply be in the Celestial Spirit Realm requires a good amount of magic energy, even with our clothing. Which reminds me, Lady Lucy." Capricorn pulls her Earthland clothes from behind his back.

"Thanks!"

"For Lady Lucy to send her Spirits to Earthland from our Realm costs her twice as much energy as it does for her to call her Spirits to Earthland normally. By returning me back to the Celestial Spirit Realm after every hit against you, Sir Laxus, Lady Lucy expended tremendous amounts of her magic energy, cutting her levels down to less than a quarter of full capacity by the time she attempted to use Altairis on you."

Lucy looks away from them both in shame. "I'm, uh, gonna go change."

Laxus stares after her until she goes behind a tree.

"Capricorn." Laxus looks at the goat in what he hopes is a contrite manner. "Thanks."

"I was certain Lucy would never want you dead. I am sorry that I had to injure you at all."

Lucy returns wearing a pair of purple sweats and a white t-shirt with a glittery gold lighting bolt on it.

"Are you okay, Lady Lucy?"

"Yeah, thanks. I just...Altairis is a terrible fate; I can't believe I almost used it. On Laxus, of all people."

"But you didn't." Laxus points out. "No use feeling bad about it now."

Lucy smiles at him, then gives him a hug. She turns to Capricorn and asks, "What do you know about the Master Gate Key?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's taken so long, y'all! Inspiration hit for another of my (non-fanfic) stories, and I've had some other obligations to take care of, as well.**

 **Also, I forgot to say that Marcus Pisani is based on a character in The Red Sphinx called the Marquis di Pisani. And I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

"The Master Gate Key? Is that what all of this is about?" Capricorn asks.

"Uh-huh."

"I had hoped this day would not come." He bows his head.

"What do you mean, Capricorn?"

"The first celestial mage held all eighty-eight keys; he wanted a less-unwieldy way to carry his Spirits with him, and so petitioned the Celestial Spirit King for a Master Gate Key that would link all of his Spirits together. When the mage died, his keys were divided among those of his posterity who were also celestial spirit mages. Throughout the years, the keys were scattered; even today, some remain without a master.

"The Master Gate Key was given to the most trustworthy of his daughters, who vowed never to use it against her family. All her posterity after her took the same vow, but eventually, they forgot the original reason behind it. They decided that the Key itself was evil, and that its use would corrupt the user." Capricorn shakes his head. "The Key is simply a tool, no more evil or good than those who use it."

"Whoa, wait." Lucy puts her hand up. "Are you telling me that this Key is linked to _all_ Spirits? As in, when whoever's doing all this gets their hands on it, they'll be able to use you, and all my other Spirits?"

"Fear not, Lady Lucy; only you can pull it from its hiding place."

"Me?!"

"Those were my instructions from Lady Layla when I hid it in the Gallows Mines."

"My mom?" Lucy gasps.

"The Master Gate Key was passed down her line for generations, with the injunction that it should be guarded, and never be used. Unfortunately, it was stolen during a break-in when you were just a baby. The thief had no idea what it was, so did not protect it as he did the jewelry he stole, and I was able to recover the Key without incident. Lady Layla decided that it would be best to hide the Key. I did not understand at first, but I soon realized that she knew her health was failing, and that she did not wish to burden you so young."

Lucy's eyes shimmer with unshed tears, and she unconsciously slides an arm around Laxus. He returns the gesture, pulling her even closer.

"Wait, if I'm the only one who can get the Key, why did he take Loke?"

"Myths and legends, Lady Lucy. Your foe holds many keys, but little knowledge."

"Aw, man!" Lucy pouts. "You're saying we've been this twisted around by a dummy?"

Capricorn smiles. "A dummy with resources."

"Tch." Laxus crosses his arms over his large chest.

"Oh! Capricorn, have you ever seen this book before?" Lucy holds out _Master Gate Key: Fact or Fiction?_ to the goat.

"I cannot say that I have."

"Yeah, me, neither. I mean, it is self-published, and there's no author listed, but I thought I had read everything on being a celestial wizard."

Capricorn flicks through the pages, looking more and more irritated as he goes. "Whoever wrote this lacks intelligence."

"That's what I thought! I mean, I suppose if I didn't have any foundational knowledge of astronomy, astrology, or the Sprits themselves, I'd believe some of it, but the conclusions are so...so..."

"Absurd."

"Yes!"

Laxus shuffles his feet uncomfortably.

"How did you come across this book?"

Lucy looks at Laxus, who blushes just a little as he says, "I bought it from Cassiopeia, before I knew she was Cassiopeia."

"Why would she do all this?" Lucy asks Capricorn.

Capricorn shakes his head. "I do not know, except that, like me, she is bound to follow her master's directives."

"Who's her master?" Laxus demands.

"Privacy laws prevent me from disclosing that information." He bows apologetically. "But I can tell you what he looks like."

"Yes!" Lucy and Laxus say together, both taking a step towards the goat.

"He is about forty years old, has dark hair, yellow eyes, and a severe curve in his upper back."

Laxus roars angrily and shoots a bolt of lightning straight into the sky.

"That skeevy little roach!"

"You know him?" Lucy is surprised.

"So do you, Lucy: that little prick that pretended to trip so he could feel you up."

"Oh, yeah!" She smiles, but that quickly turns to a frown. "You're saying all of this is just because you called him out?"

"Probably." Laxus growls.

"Aw, I kind of feel bad for the guy."

"You what?!"

"Lady Lucy?" Even Capricorn can't fathom it.

"I mean, think about how small and boring his life must be if he spent all this time trying to get revenge because you didn't let him get away with his shit."

"Lucy, I'm usually in awe at your ability to forgive, but this is too far. He sic'd a fucking spider on you; psychologically tortured you with Natsu's death; stole Loke; and tried to make you kill me, which I take very fuckin' personally. Who knows what he would have done to _you_ if he'd succeeded in stranding you out here in the middle of nowhere with no magic energy left; I'm gonna fuckin' bury him."

"Please don't, Laxus."

"We already let him go once, and look at this fucking mess."

Lucy smiles patiently, and takes both of his hands in hers.

"Laxus, I'm not saying we should let him go; we'll turn him over to the Magic Council."

"I don't understand you." He shakes his head in disbelief and frustration.

"But you want to, right?" She asks sincerely.

Laxus looks into her brown eyes, and everything else fades away. "Yes."

"This is where you start. We can't kill him."

Laxus sighs and pulls Lucy tightly against him. "Okay."

"Thank you, Laxus." Lucy kisses his chest, then turns back to Capricorn, who is studying a caterpillar on a nearby leaf. "Capricorn, is there a way to destroy the key?"

"I do not know, Ms. Lucy. No one has ever tried."

"Will you find out for me, please?"

Capricorn bows, then disappears.

"Well, at least it isn't all bad news." Lucy looks up at Laxus.

"I call being led along like mice in a maze by a smarmy little puke like that perv pretty bad news."

"Yeah, that's…let's not tell anyone about this."

"Laxus-sama!"

Laxus and Lucy look skyward to find Freed descending upon them.

"Oh, shit," Lucy whispers.

Laxus looks at her with concern. "What?"

"I kinda, sorta...tried to kill Freed. I think."

"You _think_?" Laxus's jaw drops.

The rune mage flaps his wings several times until he is close enough to land gracefully, and instantly puts up a barrier around Lucy.

"What the fuck, Freed?" Laxus demands.

"She is not herself, Laxus-sama! Thank Mavis, you're okay!"

"She is herself, now let her out!"

Freed turns pale, and his voice shakes as he says, "N-not until L-l-levy has found an ant-t-tidote."

Lucy groans. "Aw, man! So much for not telling anyone."

"Freed," Laxus attempts to sound calm, "Lucy is fine now. Let. Her. Out."

"L-laxus-s-s-sama, if you will just wait until Levy-."

"I will not wait!"

"Laxus! Don't get mad at him. I told you: I went psycho on him. He's just trying to protect everyone."

"You're not a danger anymore."

"He doesn't know that!"

"I told him so!"

"Yeah, but you love me, your judgement can't be trusted." Lucy sticks out her tongue.

Laxus growls, and grabs Freed by the collar. "Let her out, or so help me, I will fry you."

Freed instantly lowers the barrier.

"Shit, Laxus, and I thought _I_ went psych-."

Laxus kisses her fiercely for several seconds, before putting some distance between them. "Don't stick your tongue out anymore."

Lucy smirks. "If that's what happens when I do, why would I ever stop?"

Laxus kisses her again.

Freed coughs nervously in the background, recalling the two blondes' attention back to him.

"I'm soooo sorry, Freed!" Lucy cries. "I'm sorry for me, for Laxus-"

"I'm not sorry," Laxus says.

"Don't be such a jerk! Freed, can you ever forgive me?"

The green-haired man bows magnanimously, and says, "Of course, Lucy."

Lucy throws her arms around his neck, and kisses his cheek. Freed blushes as he returns the embrace, and Laxus grunts unhappily.

"How did you find us?" Lucy asks when she pulls away.

"I started in Villisca, and have been searching for you two in the nearby towns. It is a matter of luck that I decided to come this far south, and even luckier that I saw your lightning, Laxus-sama. The others have been waiting for one of the dragon slayers to return to Magnolia to help with tracking. Erza contacted me half an hour ago, and Team Natsu is on its way to Villisca."

"Natsu's with them?" Lucy squeaks.

"Yes, of course." Freed looks at her with concern.

Lucy bursts into tears, falling to her knees.

"I'm sorry!" Freed waves his hands in front of him. "Forgive me!"

"Shit, Lucy, what's wrong?" Laxus asks desperately.

"I'm just so happy!" She wails.

Freed and Laxus exchange concerned looks.

"Perhaps she needs to see Porlyusica." Freed suggests.

"I'm not sick!" Lucy wipes the tears from her eyes. "In fact, I feel better than ever: Natsu's alive, I know where Loke is, I'm cured of that poison! Things are lookin' up, guys!"

"Your optimism is both inspiring and sickening." Freed smirks.

"You like it and you know it, emblem-buddy." Lucy playfully smacks the back of her right hand against the back of Freed's left.

"I don't like this." Laxus glares at Freed and Lucy.

Freed prostrates himself, swearing several different ways that he would never try to take Lucy from Laxus.

"I thought you'd like that I could be friendly with your friends," Lucy says innocently. "I mean, I think it would be great if you could joke around with my team, too."

"You do?"

"Yeah! Oh! And we could even go on missions together!" Her eyes sparkle ominously as she continues musing about all the ways their teams could spend time together, even going so far as to mention double-dating.

"That's enough." Laxus picks Lucy up and sets her on his shoulders. "Freed, tell Erza to meet us at the Gallows Mountains," he says, then sighs, adding, "And tell her to bring the Rune Knights."

They start walking down the dirt road, and just a few yards down, Lucy starts giggling. "Uh, Laxus? Where are you going?"

"The train station, obviously."

"You're leading us back to the castle."

"Huh?"

"Maybe we should wait for Natsu to get closer so you can follow his scent."

"What that?" Freed can't stop himself from smirking at his leader.

"When Laxus is lost, he uses Natsu to find his way back to the guildhall. Isn't that ado-aaahhH!" Lucy nearly falls off Laxus's shoulders when his hand squeezes her knee. "No fair! You know how ticklish I am!"

"If either of you mentions that to anyone-"

"Mentions what?" Erza's voice emanates from the communication lacrima in Freed's hand. She smirks mischievously as she says, "That you use Natsu's pungent parfume to help you home when you're lost?"

"No way! Really?" Natsu's excited voice nearly breaks the lacrima. He appears behind Erza, trying to push her off-screen. "Lucy!"

"Natsu!" With surprising agility, Lucy leaps from Laxus's shoulders, lands gracefully on her feet, and snatches the lacrima from Freed. "You're alive!"

"Well, yeah; why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason." She shakes her head. "Where are you?"

For nearly half an hour, Laxus listens to Lucy and Natsu talk, fighting the instinct to smash the lacrima. He never thought of himself as a needy, jealous person, but that is exactly how he feels right now. Not only does he want Lucy's full attention on him, he is mad that it is all on Natsu. That little dweeb is like Lucy's shadow, and even though he's so dumb that he never pursued Lucy in all their years on the same team, Laxus knows that Lucy pursued Natsu.

Laxus used to listen to how her heart rate changed when Natsu was around, smell how her pheromones changed, too. Natsu was just too thick-skulled to notice, and Lucy wasn't bold enough to stop being subtle about it. Even though Laxus hasn't noticed any of those changes since even before he and Lucy started dating, he still has a nagging concern that she really wants to be with Natsu. And why not? Natsu and Lucy are closer in age; they have way more history together; Natsu's never tried to kill her.

Laxus wants to puke.

"Laxus." Lucy's voice cuts through his pity-party, and Laxus realizes that he and Lucy are alone on the trail, with Freed far ahead and still using the lacrima. "You stopped walking."

 _Man-up, dude. Just tell her._

 _Don't be an idiot! Break something, yell, and tell her to stop talking to Natsu!_

"Lucy, last night...did you think I had killed Natsu? Or did you put it together this morning?"

"As soon as you told me about scorching those trees when Loke disappeared."

"So, when you told me you loved me, you believed I had killed your best friend?" He asks in astonishment.

"Yeah."

"I don't understand."

"I thought you had accidentally killed him. But even if I believed you had murdered him, I would have said it, and meant it. I love you, Laxus, no matter what."

"You really are amazing, Lucy." Laxus runs his fingers through her hair, then pulls her close.

After a few moments, he can feel Lucy smile against his chest before saying, "Don't get me wrong, though; I still would have turned you over to the Rune Knights."

"That's cold, woman."

Lucy looks up at him. "I would have visited you in prison every day. Okay, every week. Every month, at least!"

She tickles his ribs, ducks out of his grasp before his arms can crush her, and takes off down the road toward Freed.

 _As if he can save her,_ Laxus grins.


	6. Chapter 6

"I command you to make a contract with me!" Pisani shouts, and stomps his foot like a child.

"No." Loke leans against a termite-damaged wooden support, the glow of a lone lantern casting ominous shadows over his unhappy features.

"I hold your key." Pisani snarls.

"My key belongs to Lucy." This time, there is a sharp edge to Loke's voice.

"It belongs to me!"

"Not for long," Loke says confidently. "Soon enough, Lucy and Laxus will find you out, and you'd better pray that you haven't used up Lucy's stores of mercy, 'cause she can be brutal."

"That air-head?" Pisani scoffs. "I am not worried about her."

"What did you call Lucy?" Loke pushes off of the support and takes several menacing steps toward Pisani, who only turns up his nose at Loke.

"You are a Spirit; you have no power in this world if you have no master."

Loke bends his right arm, grabs the bicep with his left hand, and holds his clenched fist into the air. His whole body glows with the light of Regulus, illuminating the entire mine as far as the eye can see. He shapes the light into a giant lion, which roars until the mine shakes, and streams of dirt fall from the ceiling.

Pisani cowers against a wall, hands over his head.

"How does someone with so many keys know jack-shit about Spirits?"

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Pisani jumps to his feet as if he hadn't just been trembling. "Close: Gate of the Lion!"

Loke's eye twitches.

"Really, man? You don't even know that master _and_ Spirit have to close the gate together?"

"Open: Gate of the Queen!"

Cassiopeia appears immediately, her head slightly bowed in Pisani's direction.

"He won't listen to me!" Pisani whines at her. "Tell him to make a contract with me!"

"We are made to serve, Leo the Lion. Is Ms. Heartfilia such a wonderful master that you would deny your nature and refuse to serve another?"

"Don't bother, Cassie; I'll never serve anyone but Lucy as long as she's alive."

" _I_ am your master! I have your key! You will make a contract with me!" Pisani rages.

"I can't believe Laxus and I were duped by you." Loke shakes his head in embarrassment, nose scrunched in disgust.

* * *

Laxus sneezes.

"Bless you!" Lucy says brightly.

"Laxus-sama," Freed turns around, concern on his face. "Are you ill? Is it allergies? Would you like me to conjure you an air-bubble?"

"Back off, mother hen. I feel fine…For now," he adds as the train station comes into view. "Man, I wish Wendy were here."

"I am not Wendy," Freed says, "but I did bring something to help with your motion sickness, Laxus-sama."

"Really?"

"I came across it in a convenience store, and thought it would at least be worth a try."

"Thanks, Freed." Laxus pats his friend on the shoulder.

"D-don't mention it." Freed blushes.

"How long do you think it will take to get to the Gallows Mines?" Lucy asks.

"Fortunately, the train goes through the Phoenix Mountains," he indicates the massive range to the North, "which will save us several days. However, it is supposed to be a tortuous path."

"Of course, it is," Laxus groans.

"I'm sorry, babe." Lucy rubs his arm. "Maybe we can find something that'll knock you out for most of the trip."

"No way." Laxus shakes his head adamantly. "I don't even like that I have to sleep at all, but taking something that will prevent me from waking up, too? Nu-uh."

"Wow; I didn't know you were such a control freak." Lucy muses.

"You have no idea." Freed laughs.

"Oooh, tell me!" She links her arm with Freed's, while also taking Laxus's hand in her free one.

"For starters, he has separate drawers for his left and right socks."

"What the fuck, Freed?" Laxus growls.

"Is that true?" Lucy asks Laxus.

Laxus's jaw works angrily, but he answers, "Yes."

"So do I!"

Both men stop and stare at Lucy with open mouths.

"What? It just makes sense."

"There are no such things as 'left' and 'right' socks." Freed insists.

"Of course, there are! You can tell by the slant of the seam near the toes."

"Thank you!" Laxus amens.

"You two were clearly meant for each other." Freed shakes his head.

Lucy giggles and squeezes Laxus's hand. "Yeah, I think so, too."

Laxus picks Lucy up and presses her into a stone pillar just outside of the train station before kissing her. This kiss is not like any that have come before it: while there is still an undercurrent of lust, it is far from the dominant emotion. Laxus isn't even sure how to describe it, having never felt it before…ever.

He forgoes trying to name it in favor of continuing the kiss, figuring he's got at least a day-and-a-half train ride through the Phoenix Mountains to figure it out. He presses his body into Lucy's, not to get her riled up, but to calm himself down. It's like he's trying to sink into her, to merge with her entire body, her entire soul. An absurd image of himself as a cat trying to find the perfect spot to nap on her belly flits through his mind, making him snort his laughter.

"What's up?" Lucy asks, trailing her fingers across his face; she knows something was different about that kiss, too.

"I don't know," he says before nipping at her ear lobe. "Lucy? What are you feeling right now?"

"Hmm." She grins as she runs her hands over his chest and shoulders. "I think this muscle is called the 'trapezius,' and this—."

Laxus kisses her quickly, then leans his forehead against hers. "I'm being serious."

"That's easy, Laxus: I feel safe."

Laxus frowns.

Is that what he's feeling? That doesn't make any sense: he's the strongest mage in Fairy Tail, of course he feels safe. He's never felt threatened by anyone in his life…well, at least, not since his dragon slayer lacrima was implanted. So what if he used to be scared of his dad? That was ages ago. And so what if everything he's ever done was to prove his worth to others, for fear of being rejected? Or that he kept those very people at arms length for the same reason?

"I've never felt safe before, Lucy." Laxus admits. He hates that her eyes instantly water, and kisses her to make them stop. "Not before you."

Lucy cries anyway, burying her face in his shoulder for a few moments.

"Do you do that a lot?" He asks.

"Cry? Every day."

"Every day?!"

How could anyone cry every single day? Even a girl! Maybe she really does need to see Porlyusica. He could send her back to Magnolia with Freed, while he, Laxus, continues on to the Gallows Mines. She wouldn't like that, but—

Lucy snaps her fingers in front of his eyes, calling him back to attention. "Earthland to Laxus."

"I think you should see Porlyusica."

Lucy giggles. "Because I cry everyday?"

"Yes! That's not normal, Lucy; that's clinical depression, and you don't have to suffer alone. Or at all!"

"Laxus." Lucy cups his face gently and kisses him softly, gratefully. "Thank you for being concerned about me. I don't have depression, though."

"Why else would you cry everyday?"

"It's just how my body releases excess emotion: happiness, sadness, boredom, even. It's that way for a lot of women. It's usually quick, maybe a couple tears when I see a mother with her baby, or when an ambulance passes by, or when that damn Sarah McLaughlin shelter commercial comes on the lacrimavision. It's no big deal. Don't you, like, hit stuff, or something like that every day?"

"Well…yeah, I guess so."

"Same thing."

"I love how logical you are." Laxus rests his head comfortably in the crook of her shoulder and shuts his eyes; he could get used to 'safe.'

"I love that you're amenable to logic." She laughs, running her fingers through his hair, and giving him goosebumps.

"I love that you use words I don't know," he smiles against her neck.

"I love—."

Freed coughs right next to them, making them both jump. He is uncharacteristically pleased with himself as he takes in their startled faces. "I have purchased us tickets for the train that leaves in five minutes."

Laxus sets Lucy gently back on her feet with a kiss on the top of her head. They walk into the station with their arms around each other, following Freed to the caboose. They enter the car from the very back of the train, and find that there are two large benches with plush cushioning, and a fold-up table between them.

Laxus sits length-wise along one of the benches, pulling Lucy onto his lap and wrapping his arm around her while resting his other arm on the table. Freed takes a moment to lay some runes on the floor before taking his own seat, and handing Laxus a bottle of meclizine.

"The bottle says no more than fifty milligrams a day, but since your metabolism as a dragon slayer—Laxus-sama!" Freed's voice raises half-an-octave when Laxus gulps down over half the bottle and swallows the pills dry.

Lucy grabs the bottle from him and starts reading the side-effects. "You shouldn't've done that."

"Why not?"

"Serious drowsiness is a side-effect. With as much as you took, you could be out the whole trip."

"Dammit," Laxus mutters.

"On the bright side, you will not have to feel the nausea so acutely," Freed adds.

"That's what those runes are for." Laxus pouts.

"They are?" Lucy looks to Freed.

"They add weight to the car, reducing the amount of swaying that occurs. I okay'd it with the engineer, of course."

"What a good idea!"

"Thank you." He inclines his head humbly, but is trying not to smile.

The train lurches and begins forward, drawing a painful groan from Laxus. He opens the window so he can get some fresh air.

 _Damn trains to Hell._

He fights the urge to puke, not only because Lucy's around, but because he hates the feeling. He groans as his stomach clenches painfully, and he shifts so that the air from the window hits him directly in his pale face.

Lucy turns onto her side so that she can wrap her arms around Laxus and rest her head on his chest. Laxus tightens his grip on her, and focuses on the feeling of her breasts against his torso and her hips between his legs. The distraction works well, and he finds himself wishing Freed weren't here.

"On my first mission," Lucy snickers, "Erza knocked out Natsu so he didn't have to suffer. You want me to try it?"

Laxus chuckles weakly, sweat breaking out on his skin, but he tries to sound cocky as he asks, "Think you could?"

"I think Capricorn could."

Laxus's eyes shoot open in dismay.

"Too soon?" Lucy asks anxiously.

"Not at all." He smiles and holds her closer, hand stroking her hair. She burrows deeper into him, and for a couple minutes, he thinks she has fallen asleep. Then suddenly, she tenses, and her blood pressure rises.

"Hey, Freed?"

"Yes, Lucy?"

"I, uh…earlier, I could only remember that we had an…encounter, the other night. But, now I'm remembering the details," her voice shakes, and she sits up a little, resting her forearm on Laxus's chest. "I am _so_ sorry for what I said to you. I promise, I don't really feel that way. Will you please forgive me?"

"Of course, Lucy."

"What happened?" Laxus asks, looking between them both.

"I, uhm, accused—."

"I believe forgiveness erases the transgression, does it not?" Freed steps in. "I have already forgotten it, and so should you. Both of you."

"You're a good man, Freed." Lucy reaches across the table to grasp his hand.

"You make it easy to be my best self." He squeezes her hand, then smirks deviously. "Even when you are choking me."

"What?!" Laxus sits forward, and immediately wishes he hadn't.

His whole face turns green, and he rushes out the door to the back of the train, where he mostly dry-heaves because he hasn't eaten anything for nearly a day. He finally collapses on the small platform, and curls his knees into his chest like a wuss. He even wishes those stupid pills would just kick in and knock him out already. He knows the pills are working, though, because he is less sick than usual, even with Freed's runes.

He pushes himself onto his hands and knees, rests for a few moments, then gets to his feet and wobbles back to his seat. He collapses on the bench, covered in cold sweat, his head in Lucy's lap.

Lucy continues her game of War with Freed while she asks Laxus, "Do you need some water?

Laxus just grunts and shakes his head slightly.

"So Levy was working on an antidote for me, right?" Lucy asks Freed as she drags two new cards to her pile. "But how did she know what was wrong with me?"

"You left blood on your door jam; she took-

"Oh, I wondered what this was from." Lucy holds up her left forearm, where there is a long cut that has scabbed over.

"She woke Porlyusica up at two in the morning to analyze it."

"She did what?!"

"Erza tells me it did not go well." Freed smirks. "For Porlyusica."

Laxus pushes himself up so he can look at Freed. "Say that again."

"As expected, Porlyusica was less-than-hospitable toward Levy; apparently, Levy was out of patience for that woman's shit, and she set an apple tree on fire."

Lucy wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Shit, babe." Laxus says.

"Hey! I'm busy being touched, here! Would you have set Porlyusica's apple tree on fire for me?" Her tone implies that she doesn't think so.

Laxus pushes himself up farther so that he and Lucy are eye-to-eye. "I would set the whole world on fire for you."

Unfortunately, the train chooses this very moment to lurch, sending Laxus back to Lucy's lap in misery.

 _I am not supposed to feel miserable with my face this close to-_

The train lurches again, and he wraps his arms around her, and whines, "Luuuuccyyy."

"Tell me what you need."

"Distract me," he begs. "Tell me a story."

Lucy runs her fingers lightly over his back, and begins, "Once upon a time, there was a princess and a dragon-"

"You think you're a princess?" Laxus teases.

"Everyone knows that princesses are so sensitive that even a pea beneath their mattresses can make them uncomfortable; so, obviously, you're the princess, green-gills."

Laxus growls, and Lucy and Freed shake with laughter.

"You two are never allowed to spend time together again." Laxus sulks.

* * *

 **OMG, y'all, this is so much more difficult than I thought it would be! Thanks for sticking with me! From the very beginning, this story has come to me chapter by chapter; I didn't have anything planned, and even the stuff I have planned now, I haven't lain out how to get there, so I'm sorry it's been slow-going...and for the continuity errors. Also, I definitely wasn't intending this story to be as fluffy as it is, but I've discovered that I really like writing fluffy material; I guess there's always something new to learn about yourself, huh?**

 **On a personal note: I fucking hate being nauseated. Like, I would rather step on Legos. Even writing about being nauseous made me a little queazy. Why am I telling you this? I don't know.**

 **I love your reviews, critical and complimentary alike, so please let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

Laxus, head still next to the open window, looks upon his sleeping companions with something he never thought he'd be willing to admit: love. At some point in his early life, he had decided, in all his wisdom, that love was something he didn't need; not to receive, and definitely not to give. He realizes now that that mentality is what led him to fury over his grandfather exiling his dad; it's what led him to be such an asshole to the guild, even before Fantasia; and it's what led him to confusing the guild hall for Fairy Tail, when Fairy Tail is the wizards who fill the guild hall.

Oddly, thinking about his past inhumanity is not causing him any grief or pain. In fact, it's making him consider ways that he could improve his relationships with his guild mates: he could host a barbeque, or plan an eating competition, or a chili cook-off, or—

His stomach growls loudly.

 _Damn, I'm hungry._

 _Stop thinking about food!_

Okay, so he'll have to think of other ways when he's not both ravenous and nauseated. Surely, there are other ways of bonding besides with food…right?

Lucy, who is still between his legs, shifts against him with a soft sigh, her head resting a little higher on his chest, and her ass pressing tighter against his crotch.

Laxus looks down at her, irritated at her modest t-shirt, even if it does have a lightning bolt on it. It's for the best, though, because he may not be able to control himself if her perfect, bouncy, plump—

Laxus shakes his head and tries to put a little more space between himself and Lucy by putting his hands on her hips and pushing her forward a little. Unfortunately, he only gets as far as putting his hands on her hips. More lewd images flash across his eyes, and if that wasn't enough, his nausea is subsiding.

 _Let go._

 _I'm not doing anything wrong; she lets me touch her hips when she's awake._

 _You're about to do more than touch her hips; let go._

 _Nu-uh; I don't feel sick anymore._

Laxus runs a finger along the band of her sweatpants, moving a little beneath it with his second pass.

 _I could make her feel so good. So good, she won't even care that Freed's a few feet away. So good she'll let me—_

 _Let go, you pervert!_

Laxus flings his hands away from Lucy, tucking them under his legs to prevent them from going right back to her. Shit, how has he waited this long? In all their make-out sessions, he never went to second- or third-base, even when Lucy would get impatient with him. Why, though? How did he do it, and how can he do it now?

It hits him that he never felt worthy of Lucy, and he hadn't wanted to taint her, or her reputation, by sleeping with her; she was already getting funny looks from others whenever they were together. And if he's being really honest, he was always waiting for her to drop him for Natsu, even up until a few hours ago. He just hadn't been able to face the thought of losing Lucy, especially not after having slept with her. The reality would have been too much for him to bear, he is sure of it. Now, though, all of that baggage is gone, and he only feels an overwhelming desire to prove himself worthy of Lucy, to her and to everyone else.

 _Duh._

If he were to molest Lucy in her sleep—with Freed in the same car!—he would only prove how unworthy he is, and if one of them didn't throw him off the train, he would jump.

 _Have I always been such a drama queen?_

He shakes his head at himself, glad to be back in control, and know that he won't even approach the edge again. He wraps one arm chastely around Lucy's waist, while the other plays with her soft hair. He kisses the top of her head, then leans back to get some wind in his face.

 _Magic Madness: team vs team, brackets, playoffs—_

 _Dumbass, that's Fantasia all over again!_

 _Winners get to use their magic to push me into the lake…One by one._

 _They'll love it!_

* * *

Laxus wakes up just as Lucy is pulling away from his lips. He wishes she would lean in and kiss him again, but she is smiling at him, and in some ways, that's even better.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she apologizes. "Go back to sleep."

"You can wake me with a kiss anytime you want." Laxus pulls her toward him and kisses her forehead.

"Told you you were the princess," she teases.

"When this is all over," Laxus rakes his eyes over her body, pushing Lucy backward so that she's the one in the corner and he is looming over her, "I'm going to prove to you that I'm a dragon— _the_ dragon—over," he kisses her, "and over," he kisses her deeply, "and over."

He finishes by nipping her lower lip a little harder than he should have, but Lucy doesn't seem to even notice. She is breathing heavily, her pupils so dilated that her brown irises have almost disappeared. Just when Laxus is positive that he'll die if he doesn't kiss her again, the train takes a sharp curve, and his entire body turns to jelly.

Laxus tumbles to the floor of the train car, retching and groaning. He can hear Lucy lowering the window even further, despite the biting chill in the mountain air; they must be nearing the summit. He pushes himself to his knees, head resting on his massive forearms.

"Laxus, just relax. Don't try to get up." Lucy pats his back.

"Uuughhhhh, how much longer?"

"Another day and a half," she says apologetically. "We should be at the Mining Camps station around dinner time tomorrow."

The bad news collapses Laxus's spirit, and his body. He was going to try to move to one of the benches, but he just can't. He couldn't eat anything last night, but now he's sure that not eating is making him even more sick.

"I'm soooo sorry you feel like this, babe." Lucy lies down next to him, even though there's barely room for just Laxus between the two benches. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can do for you."

"Food," he whimpers.

"Yeah?" Lucy sits up. "I'll go get you some toast and juice, sound good?"

"Uh-huh."

As she gets to her feet and carefully steps around Laxus, the door slides open, revealing Freed, with a tray of fruit, toast, and orange juice. If Laxus were well, there wouldn't be enough to feed him, but as he is sick, there is enough for all three of them.

"You're a life-saver, Freed!" Lucy says brightly. "He just asked for toast!"

"Do not praise me yet; besides this tray, I also bear bad news."

"And what, good sir," Lucy matches his proper tone, "could make you so grim?"

"The engineer has informed me that we must lighten our load in order to summit the mountain."

"Oh, that is terrible news!" Lucy exclaims dramatically. "What shall we do to ensure that dear Laxus's stomach contents remain where they should?"

"Dear Mavis!" Laxus laments. "There's two of you!"

"Why, whatever do you mean, dear sir?" Lucy leans over him with a smile.

"It's a good thing you're cute," Laxus grumbles.

Lucy giggles, then turns to Freed. "Might I take your tray, Sir Freed, that you may help Sir Laxus to a suitable position for eating?"

"Thank you, milady."

"I hate you both."

Freed helps Laxus slowly to his knees, then is able to muster just enough strength to help lift him onto the bench and back into his corner so that the air can rush over him.

"This will not be pleasant." Freed informs Lucy as he begins removing the weighted runes. The car instantly begins to sway more than it has, and Laxus turns green.

"Wait, just a second!" Lucy asks Freed before pulling the bottle of meclizine from her pocket and moving toward Laxus.

In less than a second, the dragon slayer has torn off the lid with his teeth, and swallowed the remaining pills. He chases them with an entire glass of orange juice, then falls back against the wall, eyes closed.

"My word." Lucy whispers.

"Indeed." Freed nods his head, and finishes removing the last of the runes. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to replace them once we begin our descent out of this mountain range."

"Why ever not?"

"It will slow down the train, and we are already behind schedule, it seems. I am attempting to procure a more central car to minimize the swaying."

"Not to be contrary, but why did we not do that in the first place?"

Freed laughs. "Because our friend prefers the freedom of the caboose."

"So he can puke over the railing?" Lucy drops the propriety act.

"Yes."

"Well, the next thirty-some hours should be interesting."

Laxus whimpers pathetically, then tries to cover it up with a manly cough. Freed and Lucy refrain from making fun of him this time, and instead, sit down to breakfast.

* * *

By the time they reach the station at Mining Camps, Laxus and Lucy—who were already grimy to begin with—are getting pretty ripe, and even Freed has begun to smell. So when they disembark from the train, Laxus leaning on Lucy and Freed until his knees stop shaking, they are given a wide berth.

"Lu-chan!"

The three of them whip their heads around to find Levy. Sure enough, she is there with the rest of Team Shadowgear and Gajeel. Team Natsu and Crime Sorcière are there, too, and have brought along Evergreen, Bixlow, Cana, Mirajane, and Elfman, as well. They take up nearly the entire station.

"Oh, shit." Lucy looks fearfully up at Laxus, who looks more terrified than she does.

"Screw it, I'm getting back on the train." He tries to turn around, but loses his balance, and has to grab onto Lucy and Freed again.

"We'll never live it down," Lucy mutters a little manically. "Laxus, we're going to be laughingstocks! They fucking brought Crime Sorcière!"

"Lu-chan!"

"Lucy!"

Natsu and Levy barrel into Lucy, nearly knocking her backward.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Lu! Freed told me you were better, but I brought some antidote anyway."

"Thanks, Levy, but I don't need it anymore, haha," Lucy shuffles her feet nervously.

"Man, you smell bad, Lucy."

"Shut up, Natsu! I haven't showered in days! Hey," she turns to Levy, "what was I poisoned with, anyway?"

" _Odiosus mortem_. It's really nasty stuff! I'm surprised you're okay, 'cause the only other way to—." Levy cuts herself off, looking between Lucy and Laxus first in disbelief, then with a look of pure joy as she squeals in delight.

"Damn, Blue," Gajeel complains as he rubs his ears. Wendy, Natsu, and Laxus are all rubbing theirs, too.

Levy just throws her tiny arms around Lucy and Laxus as best she can, and says, "I'm so happy for you!"

"I don't get it!" Natsu shouts. "How'd you break the curse?"

"It wasn't just a curse, Natsu," Levy corrects him. "It was a curse-infused poison."

"What's the difference?"

"A big one!" Levy is outraged. "Curses are easy to figure out; poisons are easy to figure out. But one infused with the other is crazy tricky! Even with Lucy's blood, it took Porlyusica and me three days to prepare this antidote. It was the venom of a black mamba mixed with an Odium Potion. It was supposed to kill her, and Laxus, too."

"Who's trying to kill you, Lucy?!" Natsu and Gray demand together.

"Shut up, perv, I'm asking the questions!"

"You think so, flame-brain?"

"Shut up!" Erza knocks their heads together. "Levy, why Laxus?"

"An Odium potion is like an Amore potion, but reversed."

"I don't get it." Natsu says, rubbing the bump on his head.

"Love and Hate, Natsu! Don't you know Latin?"

"Uh…" Everyone, even Lucy, looks at the ground.

"Good grief! An Amore potion is used to force someone to fall in love with someone else, and an Odium potion is used to force someone to hate someone else. If Lucy went after Laxus, it's because his DNA was in the _Odiosus Mortem._ And if the curse was broken, and the poison expelled, it's because their love was stronger than the cursed poison!"

"Aaawwww!" Mirajane squeaks, making the dragons cover their ears again.

"Congratulations!" Erza shouts boisterously, and stomps over to them, putting a hand on each one's shoulder. "I shall be delighted to plan your wedding."

"Huh?!" Lucy's jaw drops.

"You can advise, Titania, but _I'm_ in charge." Laxus locks eyes with her.

"What the hell?" Lucy looks up at Laxus.

He is still locked in ocular combat with Erza, but there is a smirk on his face. "When the time comes."

"Agreed." Erza holds out her hand, and Laxus shakes it.

"What just happened?" Lucy asks.

"I think you're getting married?" Levy supplies.

"Not today," Laxus says to Lucy, surprising himself at how disappointed he sounds. "But…maybe one day?"

Lucy's eyes shimmer, and threaten to overflow. She gets on tip-toes, wraps her arms around Laxus's neck, then pulls him in for a kiss that has the other Fairy Tail members hollering. When she pulls away, she is smiling wide, and asks,

"Why not today?"

The breath rushes from Laxus's lungs, and he stares dazedly into Lucy's beautiful eyes. Yeah, why not today?

 _Shit, I'm gettin' married!_

Cana, Mirajane, Meredy, and Ultear all whoop and holler; Elfman shouts, "That's a man!"; Bixlow sticks out his tongue and says, "Get her, boss!"; Gray, Wendy, and Happy drop their jaws; Evergreen "hmphs," and turns up her nose; and Freed, Levy, and Natsu's eyes nearly pop out of their skulls. Jellal is the only one who has remained silent, but only because of Erza's reaction.

"Unacceptable!" Erza cries. "You are both filthy, and you don't have the proper clothes, and, and, I don't know where to get flowers around here!"

"We don't need any of that, Erza." Lucy tells her. "We can have a party at the guild hall later."

"Are you serious about this?" Laxus takes her hands in his and presses them to his chest.

 _Please say, "yes." Please, say, "Yes!"_

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Natsu!"

"Aye, sir?"

"As my Man of Honor, I am sending you to fetch the conductor."

Laxus is too elated to even be annoyed about Natsu being a part of his wedding.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu takes off, leaving a trail of flames behind him.

"Freed." Laxus pulls a small box from his pocket and hands it to his friend. "Hold on to this, will ya?"

"You have a ring?!" Lucy's voice rises an octave.

"Since our third date." Laxus shrugs nonchalantly, but smirks proudly down at his bride-to-be.

 _Bride-to-be! Am I crazy?_

 _Crazy about Lucy._

"No, no, no!" Erza shouts. "This is all wrong!"

"Erza." Jellal comes up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay."

"How can you say that? They are going to get married in a _train station_ in clothes they've been wearing for a week!"

"If it's what they want, Erza, it's up to them."

"But…but…but Master Makarov isn't even here!" She spears Laxus with her eyes. "Your own grandfather!"

Laxus slumps, and looks down at Lucy, who is looking guilty.

"I didn't even think." She says to him. "He would want to be here."

"I got him!" Natsu skids to a halt in front of Lucy, carrying the conductor over his head. He sets the shaken man down, and Lucy gives him an apologetic pat on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry we bothered you, but we're not getting married anymore."

The way she says it makes Laxus's heart clench, but then she adds,

"I mean, not today, anyway. Sorry, again."

The conductor grunts, gives Natsu a simultaneously irritated and wary look, and stalks off toward his train.

"What's up, Luce?" Natsu asks.

"Master Makarov isn't here."

"Sure, he is!"

"WHA—?!" Everyone's jaws drop.

"He hopped on the train with me and Happy as we left Crocus. I think he's giving the Rune Knights the rundown on how dangerous the guy we're chasing is."

"Holy Mavis, Laxus." Lucy hisses, grabbing Laxus's shirt in her fist.

"Hey, Gramps!" Natsu shouts, running outside the station.

"We're about to be newlyweds, they have to cut us a break."

"Cut you a break for what?" Gajeel demands.

"Oh! Haha, n-nothing!" Lucy sweatdrops.

"Got him!" Natsu runs back into the station, Master Makarov on his shoulders, and stops in front of Laxus.

"Well, Natsu tells me that I'm needed."

"M-master Makarov—" Lucy starts.

"Gramps, Lucy and I are getting married. Will you do the honors?"

Master Makarov breaks into instant and uncontrollable tears. The harder he tries to control himself, the more control he loses, until, half a box of tissues later, he has calmed down enough to be able to speak.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted this for you both." He looks at them each lovingly. "And that it's with each other is just a bonus. Well!" He claps his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road! Lucy and Laxus, is it your intention to be married here today?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Very well." He pulls a small book from his pocket, and flips through a few pages. "Lucy, repeat after me—"

"I, Lucy, take you, Laxus, to be my husband." She exhales sharply, and Laxus can see that the weight of that word has fallen on her.

 _Don't back out, Lucy._

But she's grinning broadly at him, even though he is covered in dirt, grime, and sick-sweat. Lucy turns to Makarov and says, "Sorry! Sorry, Master, go back, I wasn't listening."

"I will share—"

"I will share my life with yours, build our dreams together, support you through times of trouble, and rejoice with you in times of happiness. I promise to give you respect, love, and loyalty through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and made new every day of our lives."

"Laxus, repeat after me—."

"I, Laxus, take you, Lucy, to be my w—" His voice cracks, and his eyes start to water.

What the hell is this?

"Let it out, son." Makarov pats Laxus's arm.

Laxus pulls Lucy tightly to him, hiding his face in her hair. She holds him tightly, and whispers how much she loves him. He holds her long enough that the others start to whisper, but he doesn't understand anyone but Lucy. Finally, she pulls back, and looks up at him.

"Pull it together, Princess; I wanna see my ring."

Laxus bellows his laughter, kisses her, then looks at his grandfather. "I'm ready."

"I, Laxus—"

"I, Laxus, take you, Lucy, to be my wife. I will share my life with yours, build our dreams together," Laxus pulls her close again, looking straight down into her eyes, "support you through times of trouble, and rejoice with you in times of happiness. I promise to give you respect, love, and loyalty through all the trials and triumphs of our lives together. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and made new every day of our lives."

"Your wedding rings are a symbol of the unending bond between the two of you, a symbol to yourselves, and to the world. Freed, if you will please give Laxus Lucy's ring."

Freed opens the box for Laxus, who picks up the beautiful gold ring with a Princess-cut diamond the size of Fiore with a slightly trembling hand. Damn, he hopes Lucy likes it. He's never actually seen her wear a ring before. What if she hates gold? Or diamonds? Or what if it's too small? He watches Lucy intently, sure that he's messed up somehow.

She's breathing shakily, her eyes overflowing with tears, but she looks happy. She holds out her hand before she even forces her eyes from Laxus to the ring. When she sees it, she gasps, and her eyes get wide. She looks back at Laxus and asks quietly,

"For me?"

"I'd've gotten a bigger one if I thought you'd still be able to lift your hand." He teases.

"It's beautiful, Laxus." She sniffs as he slides the ring onto her left, fourth finger. "I d-don't have one for you."

"If I may be allowed," Makarov interjects, pulling a simple, thick titanium band off of his own finger. "This is the ring Laxus's grandmother gave to me."

"Gram-gram?" Laxus says wistfully.

"Thank you, Master!" Lucy kisses Makarov on the cheek, making him blush.

"L-lucy, if you will place the ring on Laxus's finger."

Lucy does, and Laxus stares at it in awe, testing it against the light a couple of times before returning his attention to his grandfather and Lucy.

"Now by the power vested in me by the country of Fiore, it is my honor and delight to declare you husband and wife. You may seal this declaration with a kiss."

Laxus picks Lucy up by the waist, raises her a little above him, and kisses her with a sense of jubilation he has never felt before, at least not to this degree. He can barely keep himself from smiling long enough to give her a proper kiss, but neither can she, so he supposes it evens out. They are laughing by the time he sets her back on the ground, and they turn to their friends.

Deafening cheers erupt, and the happy couple are rushed by their guild mates. After all the congratulations and well-wishes—even from Erza, who obviously cried during the ceremony—Lucy is the first to speak.

"All right! Time to get Loke back!"

"Yeah!" Everyone yells and starts filing out of the station.

Gajeel hangs back, and smirks at Laxus. "Princess, huh?"

Laxus plants his fist in Gajeel's face so hard that a mere human would have died instantly. Gajeel goes flying into the stone wall of the station, cracking some of the bricks, and probably his ribs.

Laxus picks Lucy up and flings her onto his back, saying, "Mrs. Dreyar."

He hears Lucy's heart skip a beat, then jump into overdrive. "I love the sound of that, Mr. Dreyar."

Laxus kisses her hand, and is about to respond, when they step outside the station, and he stops dead in his tracks. Lucy stops breathing. They are staring at not one; not two; not even ten Rune Knights. There's an entire fucking platoon of them!

"Oh my Mavis, Laxus!"

"We might have to move to Bosco."

* * *

 **So...this chapter was pretty long, and maybe more "filler-esque" than I would prefer, but I felt the need to clean up and try to explain some of the gaps in the past chapters before we come to the end. The next chapter will probably be the final one; maybe there will be an epilogue.**

 **Weren't expecting a wedding? Me, neither! But they really wanted to get married, and I think it will fit in well with some other stories I'm contemplating writing within the same universe, so I let them!**

 **Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Remove the Master Key!" Pisani commands Loke.

In one of many holes that have been dug into the floor of the mine lies a glass-encased bronze key.

The leader of the Zodiac groans, and pinches the bridge of his nose. He could not be more done with this whole situation, but he has to help Lucy and Laxus; so he remains here, with this tantrum-throwing windbag. The last week has been one of the most difficult of his life, including his years with Karen. Pisani has more disregard for his Spirits even than she did, and without any of the occasional charm.

It has been quite a revelation studying Pisani. Maybe the man was once human, but somewhere along the line, he gave that up. He views everyone and everything that isn't himself as sub-human, as objects meant to do his will, and, when they don't, trash to be disposed of. Loke even tried to channel his inner-Lucy to try and find that spark of humanity in him that might at least provoke some pity, but as of yet, his mission is a failure.

Loke has found one thing about Pisani, the thing that has kept him here even when he doesn't have to be: the man is unstable. Sporadically brilliant, often a spoiled brat with no sense of the real world, Pisani is not someone Loke wants to take his eyes off for fear the man will have another brilliant episode that will further hurt Lucy. When she lost Aquarius, Lucy dove into a deep depression, and Loke had no idea what to do for her. Though his key wasn't broken, he knows Lucy felt the transfer of power. Loke aches knowing that she is hurting.

He expected Laxus and Lucy to be here days ago, but figures there's a lot of things that could be delaying them. He'll just have to keep waiting.

"What the hell is going on?" Pisani stomps to the opening of the mine, avoiding the myriad holes in the ground, where a distant ruckus is being carried toward them. When he reaches the mouth of the tunnel, he freezes.

Loke saunters over to Pisani, laughing at the sight of most of Fairy Tail's most powerful wizards, along with what appear to be Rune Knights, off in the distance.

"Shut up, spirit!" Pisani demands.

"Or what?" Loke challenges, getting nose-to-nose with the mage.

* * *

 _Two Months Ago_

Laxus has never felt nervous about a date before, not even his very first date; not even the very first time he had sex. With the exception of Evergreen, Laxus had only viewed women through the lens of lust, and only with a sense of total detachment. In fact, he even viewed men with the same detachment: what could he get from them without having to give much in return? Eventually, he even became convinced that he was detached from the results: she doesn't want to sleep with him? She's not that pretty, anyway; he can't meet up at the bar? Who needs to watch the game with company?

Being detached had afforded him a certain amount of freedom when it came to interacting with people, allowing him to be an asshole without concerning himself with their feelings. He generally assumed that they were doing the same to him, anyway. But when he was exiled, Laxus began to see people as human beings. He realized that belonging to Fairy Tail had always given him a sense of belonging that he hadn't thought of, or would have admitted that he was happy to have. That's when he truly began to understand the gravity of what he had done at Fantasia. He hadn't once thought of his guild mates as humans, as anything more than "things" that had let him down. It had been so easy to pit them against each other, to blackmail his grandpa into retirement, to turn all the women to stone.

Laxus groans and leans his forehead against the wall.

He can't believe Lucy agreed to go out with him even once, let alone more than once. Tonight is their third date, and Laxus's stomach is churning. He has never felt more invested in the outcome of a date, and he's not even planning on sleeping with her! He just wants her to like him, to see him differently than the person he was.

 _Wuss._

 _Shut up._

Laxus finishes putting on his sneakers, fails to tame his unruly hair, and heads out the door. He lightning-transports himself from his island home in the middle of the lake to the shore. He debates transporting straight to Lucy's, but decides he needs the walk to calm his nerves. He's never had to deal with nerves before, which only makes things worse.

Would it really be the end of the world if he and Lucy don't get serious? If he stays in the friendzone forever?

 _It's your fault if that happens; you haven't even_ tried _to kiss her yet!_

 _I'm trying to be respectful!_

 _You're going overboard; she's gonna think that you don't_ want _to kiss her._

 _That's stupid!_

 _You wouldn't be the first dragon slayer to pass up the offer._

Laxus growls, though he isn't sure if he's more upset at the thought of Natsu kissing Lucy, or of Natsu not giving Lucy what she wanted. No, definitely at the thought of him kissing her. The thought of Lucy feeling rejected, though, makes Laxus irrationally angry.

 _Am I really making her feel that way?_

 _Damn, you're such a fool. You weren't_ all _bad before, you know. Women liked you._

 _I didn't like them._

 _That's why they liked you._

 _Lucy is different. I'm different._

 _Yeah, now you're a weak-kneed, sissy-man who's so wrapped up in himself that he's going to drive off the only woman he's ever actually wanted._

 _Shit. You're right._

 _I know._

Laxus shakes his head to clear it, and is suddenly inundated with sounds and smells that he had completely blocked out.

"Shit." He mutters when he realizes that he has passed Lucy's place already. He turns sharply, and hears a delicate yelp of surprise. "Lucy!"

The beautiful blonde is hanging onto his left arm like a monkey. She giggles as she puts her feet back on the ground and straightens out her white t-shirt.

"Where did you come from?" He asks.

She giggles again, and says, "You walked right passed me. You were clearly lost in thought, 'cause even when I took your arm, you didn't notice."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be; it was interesting watching you argue with yourself."

"That obvious, huh?" Laxus scratches the back of his head.

"You have very expressive eyebrows." She grins.

Laxus chuckles, then clears his throat, and offers her his arm again. "Onward, Miss Lucy?"

"You're not going to tell me why you were arguing with yourself?" She only half-teases.

Laxus is a little taken off-guard, but smirks, and replies, "Not yet."

He offers her his arm again.

"Why thank you, Sir Laxus." She links her arm with his. When he doesn't move, though, she looks up at him quizzically.

Laxus blushes ever-so-lightly, and hopes that she doesn't notice. "I'm, uh, not sure where we are."

"If we keep going straight, we'll hit my apartment. If we keep going the way you were, we'll hit the East Forest."

"Perfect." Laxus nods and turns them around toward the forest.

"So, why white?" Lucy asks, indicating both of their all-white ensembles of sweats and t-shirts. "And why so casual?"

"It's a surprise."

"That sounds ominous."

"It was meant to." He winks at her.

* * *

"Y-you know, guys," Lucy stutters, "I think Laxus and I want to handle this one ourselves."

"Nonsense!" Erza cries. "I will not allow you to fight on your wedding day!"

"Yeah!" Natsu chimes in. "What kind of friends do you think we are?"

"No one takes him in but me," Laxus says definitively.

"Laxus!" Erza steps in front of him and slams her palm into his chest. He has to fight not to wince. "You have already denied me a say in your wedding; I will not be denied again."

"Titania: get your own wedding."

Erza blushes, but her violet eyes flash furiously.

"Laxus!" Lucy admonishes him. "Not cool!"

Jellal shuffles uncomfortably.

"Lucy and I are gonna take this roach down on our own." Laxus growls, and starts walking toward the mine, about a mile away.

"Was that really necessary?" Lucy asks gently, chin resting on his shoulder.

"It was if we want to keep from looking like fools."

"You're right." Lucy sighs and rests her chin on his shoulder. "But is that who we are now? Is that what that weasel has turned us into? We're gonna hit Erza below-the-belt to save face?"

Laxus deflates a little, then makes an abrupt about-face.

 _What the hell are you doing?!_

"Erza." Laxus walks right up to the still-fuming woman. "I'm sorry."

 _You have nothing to apologize for! She doesn't dictate what you can and can't do!_

 _Shut up!_

Everyone from Fairy Tail gasps.

Master Makarov bursts into tears and starts spluttering about how far Laxus has come, while Wendy and Gray try to calm him down.

"What I said was uncalled for," Laxus forces himself to continue. "Please forgive me?"

Erza's mouth gapes like a fish a couple of times as she looks between Laxus and Lucy in astonishment.

"Lucy and I are going to honeymoon as soon as this is over. For one-" Laxus looks at his wife, and amends, "two weeks. Is that enough time for you to plan our reception at the guild hall?"

"It shall be done!" Erza slams her fist into her palm. She links arms with Laxus, and begins talking with Lucy about the details of the party as they continue toward the mine.

* * *

 _Two Months Ago_

Half an hour into their "paintball" game, Laxus is covered in color, but still winning- barely. Damn his sense of direction! Lucy has been cleverly maneuvering her way through the forest so that even by following her scent, he is constantly getting turned around. He had no idea she would be this good, and while his ego is sulking a little, he is that much more confident that Lucy is a woman worth pursuing, no matter what he has to do to win her over.

 _She already wants you, dumbass._

 _I don't just want her; I want her forever._

Holy shit, did he just think that? Forever? It's only the third date! He hasn't even kissed her; what if she's bad at it?

Laxus laughs out loud; Lucy, bad at kissing? Yeah, right. He almost wants her to be bad at it just so he can be the one to teach her. Damn, that would be fun…

He isn't sure how long he's been standing there, fantasizing about kissing Lucy cross-eyed, when her voice pulls him from his daydream. Or is this his daydream? She certainly looks like a dream as she walks directly toward him, hips swaying in her low-slung sweatpants, covered in a rainbow of chalks.

"You stopped chasing me," she says, a hint of seduction to her voice as she gets close enough to put a palm on his abs. She makes a barely-audible sound of satisfaction, and gives him a sultry look.

Laxus is nearly taken in, but senses her plan a second before she executes it. He is just barely able to dodge her final two chalkballs.

Lucy looses her balance, and her grip on the two chalkballs, as she falls forward with her momentum. Laxus catches her before she face-plants, and she even tries to save one of the chalkballs, but both splatter against the ground in clouds of orange and yellow dust.

"Dammit!" She groans.

Laxus chuckles wickedly, twirling his last chalkball between the fingers on his right hand. "Hmm, where to place the final shot?"

Lucy's heart rate picks up a little, and her voice catches when she says, "You already beat me."

"True." He circles her, eying her up and down hungrily. "But any hunter worth his salt would never let prey that walks right up to him just get away."

"Shit." Lucy whispers, and Laxus swears there is a hint of excitement in it.

"That was a bold move, Lucy." Laxus tightens his circle around her, fighting with himself over where to place the final chalkball, wanting desperately to crush it against her left butt-cheek, which somehow has yet to be painted at all, but also feeling like her hair would be a safer bet.

 _Safer! What has happened to you, Dreyar?_

 _I told you: I don't want Lucy for a night, a week, or even a month. I want her forever._

Laxus stalks toward Lucy, backing her up against a tree. She actually licks her lips as she stares up at him, a mixture of anxiety and excitement on her face. Laxus leans one arm just over her head, and trails the back of his right hand along the side of Lucy's chalk-covered face, across her shoulder, then down her arm, making sure she can see the blue chalkball he's holding.

"I suppose you deserve some credit for a such a risk; so I'll let you choose."

"You're letting me pick how I die?" She asks drily. "How chivalrous."

"I try." He grins wolfishly, leaning his arm just over her head, and moving close so they are nearly nose-to-nose. "So, Princess? What'll it be?"

Lucy never takes her intense eyes off of his as she softly puts her hand on his wrist, guiding it lower and lower, until Laxus can't help but gulp in anticipation. Lucy guides his hand behind her, slamming it against her ass, pressing his fingers until they curl into her fleshy backside. They both make small noises of appreciation.

"You win, Laxus. What do you want for your prize?"

Laxus nearly rips her clothes off right there, but manages to restrain himself. Instead, he asks—a little more timidly than intended—"How 'bout a kiss?"

"Finally," Lucy whispers, then tangles her fingers in his hair, and presses her lips to his.

* * *

"…non-negotiable, Erza!" Lucy states adamantly.

"But, Lucy—!"

"But, nothing; we are going to have a paintball war, and that's final!"

"Laxus!" Erza wails.

"You heard the woman: non-negotiable."

"Hopeless!"

"Erza, when it's my turn to plan your reception, I promise it will be formal, and girly, and not-the-least-bit messy. Okay?"

"Ugh, fine! Paintball war."

"Whoo-hoo!" Natsu cries out. "Best wedding reception ever!"

"I am not cleaning up, though!" Erza stipulates.

"No problem. I'll hire Juvia to wash, and Natsu to dry. Easy peasy."

"Too bad Juvia's not here now," Natsu says, plugging his nose. "You two reek!"

"Shut up, flame-brain! That's my wife you're talkin' about!"

"Wife!" a faint voice echoes out of a cave just a hundred yards ahead of them.

"That's Loke!" Lucy cries happily.

"Prepare yourselves!" Erza commands everyone.

"Hey," Lucy looks behind her to her other guild mates. "Where is Juvia, anyway?"

"Oh, uh," Gray rubs the back of his head, "she's recovering from the ride over."

"Oh, no! I didn't know she got motion sick, too."

"I, uh, think she's just tired."

Wendy turns beet red, but adds, "She's okay, Lucy; I left Carla with her."

Gray looks down at Wendy in shock, and the young dragon slayer refuses to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, and what happened to Gajeel?" Levy wonders.

"Oh, uh…" Lucy stammers, but is saved when Laxus stops, and jostles her to get her attention.

"I can smell the roach." Laxus growls. They are forty-yards from the mouth of the cave now. Laxus looks at Erza, and says, "Wait here, Titania. Lucy and I want first crack at him."

Erza nods.

"What are you waiting for?!" Lucy digs her knees into Laxus's side. "Onward!"

"I'm not a horse, woman." He says drily, refusing to take a step.

"Are you sure?" She whispers in his ear, giving him goosebumps. "'Cause I can't wait to ride you."

Laxus's knees buckle, and nearly give out, as an onslaught of images of Lucy doing exactly what she said inundate his brain.

Wendy screeches and covers her ears.

Natsu laughs, and shouts, "Damn, Luce!"

"What'd she say?" Cana grabs Natsu by the face, getting very close to him. "Is Lucy a pervert like the rest of us?"

"Sure is!" Natsu grins.

"Fuck, babe." Laxus shakes his head and continues walking. "Control yourself."

"You know you don't have an excuse to ditch me tonight."

"Ditch you?" Laxus is offended.

"All those nights you just left me alone in my apartment at the end of the night, with nothing more than a kiss." She says over-dramatically. "Leaving me so worked up that I wanted to take care of myself—"

Laxus trips over his own feet, and nearly falls.

"—but knowing that only _you_ could satisfy me." She runs her tongue along the shell of his ear.

A jolt of electricity shoots down Laxus's spine, and up his dick.

"Lucy, you gotta stop." He says hoarsely, suddenly needing a lot of water.

"I'm just giving you a little extra motivation to survive," she says innocently.

"Mission accomplished."

They approach the entrance of the cave a few seconds later, just as a centaur flies passed them, along with some of Loke's magic. Laxus barely leaps to the side in time to avoid being hit.

"What did I just say?!" Lucy jokes, but her voice is just a little shaky.

* * *

 **Well, I said this was going to be the last chapter, but I was wrong. I wrote it up, and it was almost 7,000 words, so I needed to break it down.**

 **So, probably two more full chapters, and an epilogue. The chapters will be up really soon, like in the next day or so, but the epilogue will take a little longer.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Lucy!" Loke's voice echoes out at them a moment before he physically appears at the mouth of the cave.

The centaur comes charging back at Loke, who manages to dodge him, sending the horse-man skidding back into the cave.

"Get up, you worthless beast!"

The unmistakable sound of someone being painfully slapped echoes out to them.

"HEY!" Lucy shouts, leaping from Laxus's shoulders and running into the cave.

They are greeted by the sight of the hunchback, the humiliated centaur, and a sour-faced Cassiopeia.

"You, again," Laxus growls at her.

"Dragon slayer." She nods, then looks at Lucy. There is a momentary flash in her eyes that confounds Laxus: hope. "And you must be Lucy Heartfilia."

"Yeah." Lucy says curtly. "Which one of you hit Chiron?"

"Chiron?" Laxus whispers to Loke.

"The centaur."

"My master, Marcus Pisani, reserves the right to beat all of his spirits." Cassiopeia states.

"So that's your name." Laxus growls at Pisani, who shakes slightly, but maintains his arrogant posture.

"Have you two forgotten my command?!" He rages at his spirits, smacking Chiron again.

"How dare you?!" Lucy screams, and tackles Pisani to the ground. She unleashes a flurry of fists and elbows on the man, giving him no reprieve.

Laxus can't help but smile at Lucy's newfound physicality; he likes to think he had a part in bringing it out in her. Normally, she would try talking the man to death, try reasoning with him as if logic could ever persuade someone in his state of mind to see things clearly. Laxus should know; not even Lucy could have reached him during Fantasia.

Suddenly, Laxus realizes why they can't kill Pisani-other than the Rune Knights being witnesses, of course. Loathe though he is to admit it, maybe Pisani isn't as different from Laxus as he wants to think. Pisani abuses spirits, Laxus abused the Raijinshu and Fairy Tail. Pisani sees everyone as a means to his own ends, just like Laxus did. If Laxus changed, maybe Pisani can, too.

Laxus is about to pull Lucy off the whimpering man, but catches Chiron looking at Cassiopeia for direction. Laxus steps between them and Lucy and says, "I think it's about time we have a proper battle, Cassie."

"I have no desire to fight you, dragon slayer."

"Only to kill me." He growls.

"I—" she continues moving her lips for a moment, but it's as if her voice were suddenly stolen. She rolls her eyes, and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"What's going on?" Laxus demands.

"Noooo!" Pisani wails.

From the corner of his eyes, Laxus sees Lucy get to her feet, a belt with three fat key-holders in her hands. She keeps a foot on the man's throat as she turns to Cassiopeia.

"You no longer belong to him." Lucy shows Cassiopeia her key. "You can speak freely now."

"Miss Heartfilia." Cassiopeia tries to walk toward Lucy, but Laxus blocks her.

"I don't think so, ice queen."

Cassiopeia bows humbly to Laxus, and says, "If you will allow me to explain, I do not believe that we must be enemies, dragon slayer."

"Oh, no?" Laxus asks irritably.

"It's okay, Laxus." Lucy places her hand in his.

"Thank you, Miss Heartfilia. As a celestial wizard, you understand that it is very difficult for even a Zodiac Spirit to disobey a direct order from his master; it is nigh impossible for a non-Zodiac Spirit to disobey." She turns to Laxus and says, "I had to do as my master commanded, but I did try to help you as best I could; to warn you, to leave you clues."

"Hmph." Laxus grunts.

"Did I not tell you that you did not want that vile book? Several times?" She asks, pleading for him to remember.

Laxus puffs out his cheeks before answering, "Yeah, I guess."

"And did I not tell you that we would be here, at the Gallows Mines?"

"You never said—."

"Uh, dude." Loke chimes in. "I think she did."

"When?" Laxus demands.

"She said something about going to _the gallows_ before she would give us the Master Gate Key."

Laxus groans and pinches the bridge of his nose.

Boy, does he feel stupid. He could have prevented this whole mess if he hadn't been so obsessed with getting the perfect gift for Lucy. What was he thinking, anyway? Lucy would never want power like that of the Master Gate Key; she's already asked Capricorn how to destroy it. He should have known better.

"So, you wanted us to _free_ you from Pisani." Lucy looks at Cassiopeia with tears in her eyes. "Because he abused you. You never meant to hurt us."

"I tried my best to mitigate the pain that was to come your way. I heard tale of you, Miss Heartfilia, and when that revolting human set his sights on you, nothing gave me more hope that my fellow spirits and I might one day belong to a better wizard." She looks briefly at Laxus with trepidation, then back at Lucy. "If you will have us."

Lucy bursts into tears and throws her arms around Cassiopeia. The stately spirit's eyes widen comically, but she soon returns Lucy's embrace.

"Of course, I'll have you! All of you!"

Chiron bends his two front horse legs so that his human body can lay nearly-flat at Lucy's feet, which he kisses.

"Traitorous spirits!" Pisani hisses.

"SHUT UP!" Lucy leaves Cassiopeia and Chiron to kick Pisani in the side. The man groans, and curls into a ball.

"Damn, Lucy." Loke grins at her.

"Loke!" Lucy throws herself into his arms.

 _Aren't you jealous?!_

 _Nah._

 _He's in love with her!_

 _Who isn't?_

* * *

 _Two Months Ago_

Laxus stumbles dazedly along the sidewalks of Magnolia, grateful that it's late enough that most people have gone home. His head is reeling with whatever this feeling is: he can't stop smiling, he is constantly bursting into laughter for no reason, he can't stop thinking about Lucy. Is this giddiness?

 _Childish!_

Laxus doesn't care. He had so little reason to be giddy as a child, he'll take what he can get now.

Kissing Lucy was even better than he'd imagined it would be. She was amazing, even though he could tell she was relatively-new to it. They had quickly settled into a rhythm that left them panting ten minutes later. Even so, he could see the dawning embarrassment in her face that she had been so bold a few minutes ago, and the slight panic at what the consequences might be. Laxus had pulled away from her with a final, chaste kiss, then taken her by the hand and walked her home.

He walks passed a small jewelry shop and stops to look in the window.

 _Forever._

 _How are you so whipped already?! You haven't even fuc—_

 _Shut your heathen mouth!_

 _You haven't slept with her yet!_

 _So what?_

 _So…what?!_

 _Yeah; so what? People used to do it this way all the time; some still do._

 _You're religious now?_

 _I don't have to be religious to want to do things differently._

 _THAT'S TOO DIFFERENT!_

 _Relax, I don't plan on waiting 'til we're married; that could be years from now. I'm just sayin', lots of people have sex before they're married and then they get married and stop having sex. I'd rather the opposite happen._

A particular ring catches his eye and he just knows it's the one: 3-ct Princess cut with smaller diamonds around the gold band. He reaches for the door, but it's locked. He leans his forehead against the glass and sighs. He stares for a couple more minutes, then turns to leave.

"Hey." A voice calls to him from the shop's doorway. The middle-aged woman is smiling brightly at him.

"Hi."

"We closed two hours ago, but you look a little desperate for that princess-cut."

"I am." He practically whimpers.

"Come on in." She laughs.

* * *

"You really got married without me, Lucy?" Loke stares at the boulder on her left hand, his own left hand placed over his heart like he's been stabbed.

"I'm sorry, Loke! We just couldn't wait."

"You're pregnant?!" Loke cries.

"NO WAY!" Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel's voices carry into the cave.

"What? No!" Lucy flaps her hands in front of her. "We just didn't want to wait!" She turns toward the mouth of the cave and shouts, "I'M NOT PREGNANT!"

"Tell me all about it!" Loke gushes.

"...the hero! Hercules!"

Laxus tunes in just in time to hear the end of Pisani's incantation. Another doorbell and puff of smoke later, and Laxus is facing a Spirit twice the size of Elfman, with a feral look in his eyes.

"Kill them all!" Pisani shouts furiously, even as he coughs up blood.

Laxus blocks the first blow by crossing his forearms in front of him and planting his feet. The force knocks him back a few feet, and tells him that this Spirit is no joke.

"Lucy, get out of here!"

"No way!"

"Sorry, Lucy," Loke says as he throws the blonde over his shoulder and books it out of the cave along with Cassiopeia and Chiron. "Hercules is not someone to mess around with."

Laxus sends a bolt of lighting at the spirit, but it does little to phase him. Laxus sends another, stronger bolt at Hercules, and while it seems to do damage this time, certainly not enough.

Hercules roars and backhands Laxus straight out of the cave.

Laxus lands on his back next to Lucy and Loke with a groan. He is on his feet quickly, though, knowing that Hercules isn't going to stay in the cave. He hears Loke tell Lucy to call up Virgo and Capricorn, making Laxus wonder just how strong Hercules really is. He's not even a Zodiac spirit; does it really take three of them to take him down? Not to mention that Laxus is no slouch, either.

Hercules rushes out of the cave and straight for Laxus, who shoots another lightning bolt at him, nearly at full strength. Hercules stops in his tracks, shaking from head to foot for several seconds.

"You guys help Laxus! I'm going after Pisani."

"Lucy, don't!" Laxus shouts, taking his eyes off of Hercules for moment.

Big fuckin' mistake.

Laxus takes one to the chin that knocks him out cold.

When he wakes up a few seconds later, Loke is standing in front of him, using Regulus Impact against Hercules. The spirit is slammed backward into the side of the mountain, knocking some rocks loose. Capricorn hits Hercules with the same brutal head-butt he used against Laxus just a few days ago. Capricorn's hit makes Hercules wobble, and Gray ice-makes a nice little barrier for Hercules to trip over, sending him tumbling into a pit that Virgo dug.

Between Gray's ice and Virgo's dirt, they ensure that Hercules can't move, drawing a raucous noise from the spirit.

Laxus stands with wobbly knees and makes his way toward the cave just in time to hear his wife shout, "Lucyyyy-kick!"

Pisani flies right passed Laxus, who watches with some satisfaction as the little twerp hits the hard ground and whimpers.

"YOU MADE ME THINK NATSU WAS DEAD!" Lucy storms out of the cave indignantly, Natsu close behind her. She goes right up to Pisani and kicks him again before leaning down—giving Laxus a perfect view of her backside—and taking Hercules's key from him. She looks at Laxus with that red glint in her eyes.

"Scary Lucy." Natsu cowers.

"Do you know what he said?!" She demands of Laxus.

"I, uh, nu-uh." He manages.

What is wrong with him? She's not that scary.

 _Liar._

"He said I didn't love you!" She kicks Pisani once more and shouts in his face, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW?!"

"Babe." Laxus picks her up carefully by the shoulders and sets her down away from the bleeding, nearly-unconscious Pisani. He rubs her arms a little, hoping to calm her down, knowing he's risking making things worse. "You won."

"Maybe I want him dead," she says petulantly.

"We can't kill him." He smiles softly at her, reminding her of what she said just a couple of days ago.

"When did you become the peaceful one?" She asks tiredly, the tension suddenly disappearing from her body.

Laxus can't help but to kiss her. She sighs and sinks further into his arms for a few moments, before pulling away and saying,

"He needs to be searched for more keys, Buddha."

"Whatever you say, dear."

Laxus drags Pisani behind him by his collar as he, Laxus, follows Lucy.

"You know," Laxus tells him, "I should have snapped your neck back in that café. But Lucy and I just got married, and I'm feeling generous today; so I'll cut you some slack. Don't misunderstand me, though: if I ever meet you in a dark alley, you'll never be seen again."

Laxus tosses Pisani to the ground near the edge of the pit, crouching down to rifle through his pockets for more keys.

"Hercules!" Cassiopeia shouts down to the spirit, who stills instantly at her voice. "Hercules, everything is okay now. That retch no longer possesses your key."

"Hey, Herc!" Loke smiles down at the monster-man. "You want a new master?"

Hercules looks up pathetically at Cassiopeia, who nods, then to Loke. "Yes."

"I've got the perfect one for you!" Loke smiles. "She even has your key already."

"Lucy!" Laxus, Natsu, and Gray shout together, all just barely missing her before she jumps into the pit.

When they reach her, she and Hercules are both in tears, and her arms are wrapped around his massive head.

"What the hell?" Gray asks at the strange sight.

"I don't try to keep track anymore." Laxus tells them. "I just step out of her way and watch her conquer."

* * *

 **I realized as I was writing this chapter that I need some help writing fight scenes. So, sorry there's not a lot going on in this chapter as far as action goes.**

 **One more chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

By the time they have all joined the others up top, Capricorn has already delivered Pisani to the Rune Knights and returned.

Hercules drops to his knees and hugs Cassiopeia like a child seeking his mother, though he is four times her size.

"He was with Sir Pisani the longest," Cassiopeia tells them. "He has suffered the most by far."

"Fuck, I hate that little rat bastard." Lucy seethes.

"Maybe he'll change one day." Laxus says tentatively.

"Hmph."

"Hey may change, Sir Laxus," Capricorn says, "but he will never have the chance to prove it. The Rune Knights informed me that he is wanted for the murders of at least two other celestial mages. They have been looking for him for a long time, and he will never be released from prison."

"Oh my gosh! Not Yukino, right?" Lucy asks, suddenly in a panic. "I mean, Sting and Rogue would have told me, right? I haven't talked to her for so long! I didn't even think to tell her what was going on! What if he went after her first? What if-!"

"Miss Yukino is perfectly fine, Lady Lucy."

"Oh, phew!" She puts her hand to her heart.

"Don't look like much of a lady right now," Gray teases. Natsu snickers.

"Yeah, yeah, I smell and all that."

"And you're splattered in blood and dirt." Gray reminds her.

Lucy looks down at herself and groans.

"Make my wife feel bad again, and I'll fry you both and feed you to a Vulcan." Laxus growls.

"Yes, sir!" The two chime.

Lucy wraps her arm around Laxus's waist and leans her head against his chest. "Thanks, babe. But they're right."

Laxus kisses the top of her greasy head.

"Capricorn, what did you find out about the Master Gate Key?"

"It is indestructible, Lady Lucy."

"Of course, it is." She sighs. She looks up at Laxus and asks, "What do you think I should do?"

Laxus looks over at the pathetic forms of Hercules and Chiron, and the distressed Cassiopeia. With the Master Gate Key, Lucy could override any command given to a spirit in a similar situation. She could rescue them without a fight, without injury to herself, or even the other mage. Take away a holder-type's magic, and they are forced to listen to reason.

Laxus groans.

How many tyrants have started out with that mentality? The excuse of safety and non-violence as their call to action, but force as their way of accomplishing it. That has never been Lucy's way, despite how she handled Pisani today. She prefers to win others to her side by logic, charm, and heart-felt pleas. If she does decide to keep the key, he isn't worried about her succumbing to it's power, only what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands.

"What if it were warped?" He suddenly asks Capricorn.

"I don't think I follow."

"When I struck you the other night, those gold cuffs around your wrists were bent out of shape. What if I could do the same to the Key? Would that prevent the magic in it from working?"

"It would, but I am afraid gate keys are made from far more durable-and magical-metal than these." Capricorn holds up his wrists, the gold there reflecting the sun brilliantly.

"Good idea, Laxus." Lucy reaches her hands around his neck and pulls him down for a kiss.

"Are you patronizing me?" He asks suspiciously.

"I'm telling you the truth." Lucy kisses his cheek again. "It was a good idea. Do you think Master Makarov will let me keep it beneath Fairy Tail? Where we used to keep Fairy Heart?"

"Lucy, he likes you more than he likes me; he'll do anything you ask." Laxus kisses her, a little deeper this time. "So will I."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Gag!" Natsu shouts. "Let's go! This place is so boooring!"

A few minutes later, Lucy has retrieved the Master Gate Key from the floor of the mine, and given it to Capricorn for safe keeping. As they near the rest of Fairy Tail, they are greeted with a crowd trying not to laugh.

"What?" Lucy demands.

"That's it?" Cana laughs, triggering the rest of the group to start snickering.

"Lucy, that guy was so puny!" Mira giggles.

"Shut up! I never asked all of you to come!" Lucy pouts.

"So tiny!" Cana cackles. Even Natsu starts laughing uncontrollably, latching onto Cana for support.

"Hey!" Levy tries to defend her friend, even through her own fit of giggles. "Lucy was poisoned, remember?"

"And cursed!" Natsu adds in.

"And cursed! Cut them some slack!"

"Thank you, Levy." Lucy gushes.

"Of course, Lu!"

"Bein' too easy on 'em, Shrimp." Gajeel slings his arm around Levy's shoulder. "They should'a taken care of that runt in their sleep."

Laxus slams his fist into Gajeel's face again.

Levy and Lucy gasp.

No one is laughing anymore.

Gajeel gets to his feet, darkness emanating around his body. "That's the second time today, Thunder God."

"What did you do to Lucy?" Laxus demands, lightning sparking around him, forcing everyone to back away. Everyone except Lucy.

Gajeel looks confused, and glances at Lucy in question.

She shakes her head, and steps in front of Laxus. "What are you talking about, babe?"

"You said something about him 'beating the shit out of you' during the Phantom Lord attack."

"Fuck." Lucy and Gajeel say together.

The whole guild leans forward to hear better.

Gajeel's head slumps forward along with his shoulders. His red eyes stare at the ground, and the darkness around him increases, but is now filled with gloom instead of menacing.

"Whatever I said—." Lucy starts.

"That's exactly what you said."

Lucy sighs. "It's all in the past."

"Why didn't you tell me? Anyone?" Laxus demands.

"Yeah!" Natsu adds angrily.

"We all knew he kidnapped you," Gray says angrily, "but I didn't know he beat you."

"I told the people who needed to know!" She explodes, thunder clapping though there are no clouds in the sky. "Gajeel and I are cool, and no one else gets to have a say in that!"

Gajeel cuts his gaze to Lucy. "It's alright, bunny-girl. Laxus is right."

"No. He. ISN'T!" She and Levy shout together, making everyone back away from them.

Thunder booms again, and Jellal eyes his student with a knowing smirk.

"Fuck! What is wrong with you, two? Just moping around in your pasts, sulking about every little mistake you've ever made like it's an episode of _Angel_!"

"That broody vampire?" Gajeel is offended.

"Did I stutter, Shoo-be-do-baa?" Lucy glares at him. Gajeel is momentarily shocked, but ultimately grins at her, and gives his signature laugh. She grins back. "That's better."

"Beating up a defenseless woman, even if she is a mage, isn't a little mistake, Lucy." Laxus growls.

Lucy shuts her eyes and takes a couple of deep breathes.

"Laxus," she says in a gentle 'teacher' voice. "Neither is doing nothing to stop it."

"I thought we were passed that?" Laxus's former-self is behind the wheel now.

"So it's okay for me to forgive you, but not Gajeel?" Lucy tries to remain calm.

"I never hit you!"

"He never tried to kill me."

"Why are you defending him?!"

"For the same reason that I always defend you, Laxus: we all belong to Fairy Tail."

Laxus almost retorts, but he looks sharply away from her, grinding his teeth together. He hates this. He hates all of it! He wants to shout and stomp his feet and demand that she listen to him. He wants to beat Gajeel's face until his brains start leaking out of his ears.

He wants to do the same to himself.

* * *

 _Two Months Ago_

They talk of little things on their way to the forest, like how Happy is mad at Natsu for eating his fish, and how Evergreen isn't speaking to Bixlow because he insulted her dress. The conversation flows comfortably all the way to the clearing he has prepared, but something doesn't sit right with him. Maybe he just doesn't like small-talk; that's definitely true. Or, maybe he doesn't want to talk about Natsu, or Evergreen, or anyone else; he just wants to talk about Lucy.

"Lucy?" He asks as they sit down on the picnic blanket in the middle of the clearing. Lucy sits facing Laxus, hip against his thigh, resting her hand on the blanket between his knees. Old-Laxus screams about how bad she wants him, but New-Laxus quickly shuts down that little demon.

"Yes?" She looks at him, making him both nervous and delighted that she finds him worthy of giving him her full attention.

"What were you doing behind the guild that day?"

"When you caught that catfish?"

"Yeah."

Lucy grins at him, taking his breath away. "I was looking for you."

"For me?"

"You were always hiding up on the S-Class level, even when your team was downstairs. I caught glimpses of you, though; I could tell you wanted to be part of everything and just didn't know how." She blushes here, and looks away for a minute. "I'm ashamed to say I didn't go after you immediately; I was nervous around you…and, honestly, still a little pissed."

It's Laxus's turn to look away, but Lucy takes both of his hands in hers and waits for him to look back at her. When he does, her brown eyes are unyielding.

"I quickly realized I was being petty and needed to get over myself."

"Lucy, I tried to kill—!"

"Shhh-uhsh!" She squeezes his hands with surprising strength. "That day, I determined to find you and invite you and the Raijinshu to dinner with me and Team Natsu, even if you were in the foulest mood. And if you had said 'no,' I would have just asked again the next day, and as many times as it took until you said 'yes.' If I could feel safe leaving Levy with Gajeel after all he did, I could definitely feel safe with you."

"Lucy." Laxus looks at her in amazement. "How?"

"Fairy Law, Laxus." Lucy shrugs simply. "You cast it, but no one was hurt. Once I remembered that, approaching you was easy."

Laxus has so many emotions flying around his general torso region that he's sure he's going to burst open any second. A ridiculous image of an alien, slimy and slick, crawling out of his torn corpse almost makes him laugh out loud. Instead, he gives Lucy a cocky grin and says, "Admit it: you just wanted to meet the mage powerful enough to cast such a spell."

Lucy giggles, pulling Laxus unconsciously toward her. "Gladly. Your power is part of what makes you attractive. And the fact that you dedicated the time and effort to become powerful."

Laxus has no idea what to do now; he's never flirted with a woman who's so forward before. Usually, he has to jump through hoops just to get them to say something as simple as how they like his eyes. In fact, he's sure that most of the women he's dated resented him for his power, and even tried to punish him for it, and not in any of the fun ways.

"Really?" He asks stupidly.

"Yeah, really. Talent and passion are always attractive. Plus, they usually indicate dedication, which is also attractive."

"That's the third time you've called me attractive." Laxus waggles his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah," Lucy leans in a little, a small smirk on her perfect lips. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

Laxus gives her a smoldering look and leans over her. To his surprise—and delight—she doesn't back away from him. Knowing that she wants him to kiss her makes him happier than he thought possible, but he knows that if he kisses her now, the rest of his plans will be ignored, and he put too much effort into them for that to happen. So he slides to the left at the last second, lips skimming her ear when he says,

"I'm gonna do this."

"Eep!" Lucy looks down at her shoulder, where a red cloud of dust is rising toward the sky. "What the hell?"

"Paintball, Princess." He smirks predatorily.

"Oh, you are goin' down, dragon slayer!" She shouts, getting to her feet with surprising speed and taking off toward the trees with her own picnic basket. "And they're made of chalk, not paint!"

Laxus watches her disappear into the trees with a knot of hunger in his belly; fuck, he loves hunting.

* * *

"Laxus." Lucy takes his hands in hers, turning him so that his back is to the crowd.

A couple of angry tears slide down his cheek. Lucy smiles softly up at him.

"I know you're frustrated, Laxus. And I really appreciate that you're sticking up for me."

Laxus lets out a long exhale as though he's releasing poison. His shoulders relax and he can breathe fully again. At least she understands that he's just trying to keep her safe.

"I have a question for you." Lucy looks at him, waiting for a reply. He simply lifts her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles. "Are you really mad at Gajeel, or is it just easier to beat him up than yourself?"

"How the fuck do you do that?" He asks in wonder.

"I'm magic." Lucy winks at him.

"Better than any kind of magic I've ever seen." He pulls her close, holding her against his chest. He seriously can't believe he's married to this woman! How the hell did he pull this off, and how the hell is he going to make sure she never regrets it?

After a while, Lucy looks up into his eyes and asks,

"Good?"

"Good."

She kisses his chest, then turns them around to face everyone again. Gajeel is whispering in Levy's ear, Wendy in Gray's, and Natsu in Cana's, while the rest look peeved that they don't have their own personal dragon slayer to give them all the gossip.

"Okay, here's how it is, and anyone who dares challenge me will face my wrath!" Lucy only half-jokes. "Phantom Lord Gajeel, and Fantasia Laxus are dead. Oh yeah!" She adds, pointing at Jellal. "That goes for Tower of Heaven Jellal, too."

Jellal gives her a slight bow of thanks.

"No one is allowed to resurrect them, for any reason, ever! Understood?"

Standing there covered in blood, dirt, and grime, the normally-bubbly blonde was actually quite fearsome.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good! Now, let's go home, please!"

Laxus hangs back for a second, an odd feeling of gratitude overcoming him as he watches his guild. Not that long ago, he had no part with them, not even after his membership was reinstated. Now, they all showed up at the drop of a dime to help him. Well, probably to help Lucy.

"Jellal!" She jumps next to the blue-haired man. "Did you hear the thunder?"

"I did." He smiles.

"Laxus said I caused a whole-freaking-storm when I tried to kill him!"

Jellal holds out his fist for Lucy to bump, and says, "I knew you were getting the hang of it."

Laxus grins.

 _Definitely for Lucy._

* * *

 **I have this headcanon that Lucy never told anyone except Master Makarov about how bad Gajeel really hurt her, just out of some respect for Makarov's decision to allow Gajeel into Fairy Tail. And then, of course, she told Levy once she saw how Levy and Gajeel were spending time together, just to give her fair warning, even though Lucy was sure he would never hurt Levy...again. She also went to Gajeel and hashed things out with him, but ended with the obligatory and not-so-subtle disclaimer that she would kill him painfully if he ever hurt Levy.**

 **So, this brings us to the conclusion of the story! There will be more in this universe, but I make no promises as to when; school, work, life, etc. are a bit demanding of my time right now. I hope y'all've enjoyed the ride, bumpy as it was; I certainly enjoyed writing it! Thank you to all those who left me reviews, and to those who didn't, thanks for reading!**

 **Yes, there is still an epilogue to come, but it's gonna be a few days.**

 **XOXO**


	11. Epilogue

"Laxus. La-AH-xus! Come on, Laxus! Play with me!" Asuka grabs hold of his arm, using it as leverage to walk up his leg until she his hanging off of him perpendicularly. Her parents try to chide her, but can't keep a straight face. Lucy, Gray, and Natsu aren't even trying to hide their laughter.

Laxus ignores them, his chest puffing out with pride that Asuka chose him. The reality of fitting in with his guild mates is a lot different than he'd thought it would be. He certainly never imagined that it would involve so much babysitting; or that he'd like it.

Laxus easily lifts Asuka up in his one palm, spinning her around like pizza dough until her cries of joy are too much for him to handle. He cradles her safely in his arm before doubling over in laughter himself.

"Damn, Lucy!" Cana sloshes some beer on the table. "What did you do to him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at him! He's _willingly_ playing with kids. He's _laughing!_ I've never seen him laugh unless he was destroying something!"

"Don't exaggerate, Cana." Lucy shakes her head. "Laxus laughed plenty before me."

"Nu-uh, Cosplayer." Bixlow hops over the back of the booth wiggling his way between Cana and Natsu. "He was a grumpy old man before you came along."

"Screw you, Bix." Laxus surreptitiously gives him the middle finger behind Asuka's back.

"See what I mean?" Bixlow laughs, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

The little girl reaches up to Laxus's neck and starts wiggling her fingers. Laxus isn't ticklish, but he pretends for her sake, just to get her to laugh some more.

"We can't change into anything we don't already have the parts for," Lucy says. "If Laxus is different, it's because he already had it in him to begin with."

"Here, here!" Levy high-fives Lucy then gives her most loving look to Gajeel, who kisses her fiercely.

"Gag!" Lucy and Cana tease.

"Hey," Levy pulls away and levels them with a glare. "I'll have you know that I stopped him from pulling a spider prank on you, so you better be nice to me."

Lucy shudders violently, making everyone laugh at her.

"I'm getting a milkshake; anyone want anything?" Lucy asks. Everyone gives her their order, then Laxus watches Lucy skip over to Mira at the bar. He gets distracted thinking about how much he loves watching her walk away from him when she's naked.

Asuka crawls up his chest until she can put both her hands on his face and turn it toward herself. Her frown is so cute that Laxus almost can't keep a straight face.

"Playing with _me_!" She pouts.

Bisca and Alzack burst into laughter.

"Sorry, kid." Laxus tosses her into the air.

"Weeeee!"

Laxus catches her on the way down. "That better?"

"Again! Again!"

* * *

 _Two Days Ago_

When Laxus and Lucy show up to the guild hall for their reception, they are met with the worst—and most obvious—sight they can think of: a mural of the battle against Pisani, wherein Pisani was portrayed as a chibi and everyone else as fucking giants.

"You're dead, Reedus." Laxus threatens.

"Hey!" Lucy pouts. "He murdered two of my people! Like, for real!"

"Yeah, but…seriously, it was you and Laxus!" Cana laughs.

"I was curse-poisoned! Laxus loves me more than his own life! Where's the portrayal of that?"

"Is getting teased what it means to fit in?" Laxus asks. "'Cause I'm totally up to scaring people into walking on eggshells around me again."

At that moment, Erza appears on the stage, and shouts, "Silence! I will explain the rules to you: First, you must all wear white! Max is selling t-shirts if you need one. Second, it will be team against team, not wizard against wizard. If you wish to ally your team with another, you must register the alliance with Jellal." She points to him near the guild entrance. "The last team standing wins."

"Wins what?" Gray shouts from his seat at the table.

"Gray, clothes!" Everyone shouts back at him.

"Wins the pride of knowing that they have out-performed the entire guild." Erza says passionately.

"Lame!" Cana bellows, then downs a swig of beer.

"Me." Laxus says, shutting everyone up; even Erza. "Whoever wins gets to toss me in the lake, with or without magic. One by one."

The whole guild erupts into cheers and stampedes out of the doors.

The game itself is a blast, especially when Lucy uses her whip to stop a blue ball of chalk that was about to hit him; he almost throws her over his shoulder and carries her into the woods to have his way with her. In the end, and to no one's surprise, the only two teams left are the Raijinshu and Team Natsu. Or, so everyone thinks.

Asuka has snuck away from her babysitter inside the guild hall, found some paintballs, and joined in the fun. By the time anyone realizes what's going on, she has already taken out Freed, Evergreen, and Erza. And before anyone can so much as open their mouths to shout for her parents, she gets Wendy and Gray.

In the end, none of them can take away the kid's win.

Standing on the edge of the dock, allowing himself to be pushed into the lake by a tiny little palm he can barely feel is one of the most humbling moments Laxus has ever experienced. When he pulls himself up onto the dock and feels Asuka's little hands pushing him again, and hears her laughing and shouting, "Again! Again!" he surprises himself by happily complying. Only this time when he surfaces, he does so silently, popping up on the side of the dock and grabbing Asuka around the middle.

"Mwahahaha!" He shouts, holding her above his head as he treads water. "The evil lake monster has taken you prisoner! How will you ever escape?"

Asuka giggles delightedly and says, "You not evil; you funny."

Laxus's heart nearly bursts with joy.

"Look, Mommy; I swimming!"

"Very good, Asuka!"

* * *

"Look, Mommy! I flying!" Asuka shouts as Laxus runs around tables with her held above his head.

"Very good, Asuka!"

Lucy shows up with a tray full of drinks just as Asuka says, "I marry Laxus."

At the brief look of death on Lucy's face, everyone—including Laxus—goes into a violent laughing fit.

"Are you…jealous…of a five-year-old?" Laxus finally manages to ask between chuckles.

"What? No! Shut up, idiot."

Laxus just laughs even harder.

Once everyone has settled down, Alzack pries Asuka from Laxus's arms, saying, "It's time for bed, little one."

"Noo!" She wails. "Laxus, save me!"

By the way Lucy laughs, Laxus knows that he wasn't able to hide his dumbstruck expression.

"Uhh…" He mumbles. "Sorry, Asuka; not even I can save you from bedtime."

"But…but…" She looks crushed, and Laxus almost takes her from her parents and runs off with her just so she won't look at him like that anymore.

"We can play again tomorrow, Asuka. Okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She goes quietly after that, staring forlornly at Laxus over her dad's shoulder.

"Looks like you've got a new admirer, bossman." Bixlow laughs.

"Lucy not young enough for you, cradle-robber?" Cana joins in.

"Not funny!" Everyone yells at her.

"Geez! Get a sense of humor!"

"Laxus?" Lucy asks shyly, poking her two pointer fingers together.

"Yeah?" He asks curiously.

"How would you feel if we had our own Asuka?" She puts her hand to her lower abdomen and looks at him with a blush in her cheeks.

Laxus's jaw nearly hits the floor. So does everyone else's.

"LU!" Levy is the first to find her voice. She steps all over Gajeel to get out of the booth and throw her arms around Lucy. She starts chattering, but is speaking so fast and excitedly that it only comes out in gibberish; or maybe it's a different language. Laxus can't be sure.

"Are…you're…really?" Laxus asks, a powerful mixture of fear and excitement making him feel a little queasy.

"Nope." Lucy smiles deviously. "Consider this payback."

Levy squeaks indignantly, then starts yelling in that gibberish language again, her cheeks puffing out. Lucy laughs until she has to grab onto a chair for support. Levy turns to Gajeel, says something that apparently he understands, then points at Lucy.

The next thing Laxus knows, there is a tarantula flying through the air. It lands on Lucy's knee and slides down her leg. She shrieks so loud that all of the dragon slayers are momentarily stunned. Before anyone in the guild hall can come to her aid, she lifts her right knee to her chest, extends her left arm in front of her, and her right arm behind her, shouting,

"NINE LIGHTNING STARS!"

From nowhere, nine sword-shaped bolts of lightning appear at her right hand, which she then hurls at the plastic arachnid, disintegrating it completely, leaving the foul odor of burnt plastic in the air. Laxus can't believe what he just witnessed; she doesn't just have a little bit of lightning magic. She could probably hurt Natsu or Gajeel with the power she just released. From the look on Gajeel's face, he knows it, too.

Laxus looks back at his wife, her face red, her hair a mess, her eyes full of fury. Laxus's gut tightens, and so does the front of his pants. He's got to get her out of those clothes.

"How dare you?" Lucy shouts at Gajeel, who's eyes momentarily avert to Levy, who is standing with her feet wide and her arms crossed, a stubborn look on her face.

Laxus regains control of his body just as he releases a table-shaking growl. He grabs Lucy and pulls her against him. He can't help but grind his hips against hers for a moment.

"Laxus!" She gasps. He kisses her, and finally calls down his lightning to take them home.

"If she ain't pregnant now, she's gonna be." Cana cackles.

Everyone sweat-drops.

* * *

 **Finito**

 **I have some other stories swirling around my head that take place in this same universe, so stay tuned!**


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